Till The World Stops Turning
by nariai
Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.]
1. Prologue

**Hello, dear readers. To those that have read some of my other stories: I know, I know. By now I should have learned my lesson. I shouldn't start any new stories until finish my other ones. But I just couldn't stop myself.  
**

 **I was reading _'_** ** _Sesshomaru's Pup'_ by mndlrn and it inspired me.  
**

 **Anyway, I noticed that there aren't many self-inserts for this fandom, so I decided to write one.**

 **If you have some questions or anything like that you're welcome to ask.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced in a world I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 1_

 _How to Save a Life_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where A Soul Was Misplaced_

* * *

 _"To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others."_

 _― Albert Camus_

 _"If you're really a mean person you're going to come back as a fly and eat poop."_

 _― Kurt Cobain_

* * *

I remember the cold. The frost biting my skin. My toes and fingers freezing, till nothing but numbness was left. I could only guess that they were changing into a lovely blue color, fitting perfectly with my soaked, navy winter jacket. Damp tresses of my dark hair clung to my face and were splayed on the ground underneath me.

I could hear someone screaming my name, but it seemed to come from very far away. Deep down I knew better. After all, I could feel the person at my side. My best friend, Alicia, was putting pressure on the deep wound located on my abdomen. Her hands were shaking badly and she looked pale. Almost as pale as I was.

I knew that the blood loss was clouding my perception. Everything seemed hazy, the world momentarily blurred into thousand colors. My hearing wasn't any better, only muffled sounds reached my ears. And then there was the taste, that coppery taste of blood on my tongue. I tried to get rid of it, but nothing seemed to work.

Panting breaths escaped my lips, visible in the form of white puffs in the cold air. I couldn't breathe. No matter how hard I tried, the oxygen just did not want to enter my lungs.

But the worst of all was the pain. It was everywhere, it almost seemed as if my failing heart was carrying it into every inch of my body. The worst being my abdominal region and my chest. Sadly, it wasn't the horrible pain that scared me the most. No, what scared me the most was the fact that this unbearable pain was fading.

 _I was fading._

That realization struck me like a lightning bolt. I was _dying_ and there was nothing I could do against it.

Alicia knew this as well, I saw it plainly written on her face. The agony, the despair and above all else the _guilt._ I did not blame her for what happened. But had she made another choice, had she listened to me, then we wouldn't have been in this situation.

At the end this knowledge did not stop me from taking the two bullets for her.

Alicia and I, we knew each other since we were toddlers. She was like a sister to me, thus I had no problem with dying for her.

Yet that did not change the fact that I wanted to live. I was only fifteen. I haven't even seen the slightest of what the world had to offer.

 _I did not want to die._

Outside of the alley we were occupying, I could here the siren of an ambulance. Help was coming. No matter how futile their presence would be for me, I was still happy that someone would take care of Alicia. She would really need it.

I would like to say that what I was going through was worse than what was awaiting Alicia. However, I knew that it would be a lie. After all, my reason for saving her wasn't my overly good heart, no, it was my selfishness. I had always been a selfish person, thus I rather had her living in guilt over my death than the other way around.

I had it easy. I would die knowing that I saved her life, Alicia would live with the knowledge that she caused my death.

Forcing my eyes to open one last time, I looked up the starry night sky.

I couldn't help the small smile that graced my lips.

* * *

 _Day 1_

* * *

When I was younger my family once decided that it would be a good idea to go swimming. My mother invited Alicia to go with us and I was ecstatic because of that. I never even considered the fact that I couldn't swim. I just knew that I had heard many people talking about how much fun they had when they went to the beach. I immediately assumed that I would have just as much fun.

That day did not end well.

First: We did not go to the beach. Second: I almost drowned.

We were searching for a place where we could settle down. Together with Alicia I was walking dangerously near a deep swimming pool. And in the most cliche of ways I slipped and fell into the water.

The shock that went through me upon contact with the freezing liquid was nothing compared to the panic that filled me the moment I realized that I couldn't breathe. I tried to reach out for help but the water hindered my movement.

I screamed. Which was quiet the stupid thing to do, it only allowed more water to enter my lungs.

Naturally, I was saved. My mother jumped into the water right after me. I didn't remember much more about that day, only that by some miracle I had survived.

I never wanted to feel as helpless as I felt in that water again. And so I became a member of a swimming club.

However, that did not help me with my current situation. Because I once again couldn't _breathe._ I once again felt that unbearable cold around me, caressing my skin like a lovers touch.

And oh my god, I couldn't breathe. No matter how hard I tried my lungs just wouldn't expand.

 _I was freezing. So very cold._

 _My vision blurry and unfocused._

 _The air just wouldn't enter my lungs._

 _What was happening to me?_

Something struck my behind. _An infants wailing._ My lungs expanded and I took a large intake of air.

Moments later my previous problem seemed to become meaningless as a new one resurfaced. While I still couldn't see, I could smell _everything._ The strong stench of blood was heavy in the air. There was the smell of sweat and some other unknown substances. I felt like throwing up. My cheeks which had been already tear stained, started to warm up in my panic. More and more tears leaked out of my eyes.

What was going on? Where was I? Was this the punishment for my selfishness?

But above all else, why the hell wasn't I dead?

I couldn't even begin to understand what was going on. But there was one thing that I knew; Someone was holding me. Someone very _large_ and unknown was holding me.

There was a flash of white and gold. Whatever it was, somehow, against all reason, I knew that I was safe.

My eyes strained to stay open. I was tired, so very tired. My crying ceased, my throat too raw to continued.

I fell asleep in a strangers arms, hoping against all odds that I wouldn't wake up again.


	2. What A Wonderful World

**Here is chapter 2 of 'Till The World Stops Turning'. Sorry for the long wait.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced in a world I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning  
_

 _Chapter 2_

 _What A Wonderful World  
_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Stopped to Look Around_

* * *

 _"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."_

 _― Lao Tzu_

* * *

 _Day 7_

* * *

My wish never did come true. I woke up again and again and _again._ It was a never ending cycle.

I didn't manage to stay conscious for longer periods of time, thus I only ever noticed that I was still in the stranger's— _White and gold—_ arms, being held against what I presumed to be his chest. I was certain that it was a male from the feel of it. He smelled of sandalwood and lavender, quiet the weird mix if you asked me but comforting all the same.

Every time I woke up, he would unwrap me from the furs that were around me. Then he fed me some mildly warm substance. I had no idea what it was, but each time he gave it to me my hunger was quenched. I should have been worried about some stranger feeding me with unknown substances, yet I wasn't. I _knew_ that I was safe. And wasn't that freaky?

I heard him talking a few times. He spoke Japanese, my mother tongue. The moment I realized that I felt like kissing my mother in gratitude for forcing me to learn the language despite the fact that we hadn't lived in Japan.

Although his voice was the one I heard most often there was also another one. It was high pitched and screechy, leaving an uncomfortable feeling in my ears each time the person spoke up. I couldn't even decipher most of what it—I didn't know if it was male or female—said. How the stranger could spend a second with a person who possessed such a horrible voice, I did not understand.

Luckily—or maybe not so luckily—I never did have to listen to it for too long. I always fell asleep before the voice could grant too much on my nerves.

This whole situation was rather...disconcerting. I was pretty sure that I had _died._ And yet I was still here, wherever here might have been. Another problem was that I couldn't stay awake for longer periods of time. I was just so damn tired that I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep.

On a happier note, my eyes seemed to be getting better. While everything was still blurred, I could now make out some distinct shapes. With all the green I managed to glimpse I could only guess that I was in some kind of woods. Which didn't really help me in finding my exact location, there were way too many forests in the world for me to just guess, but it was a beginning.

Furthermore, I was safe. And I did not mean the freaky feeling I had been experiencing since I found myself in the strangers arms. No, I meant the fact that I had been here for some time now and no one had hurt me yet. If they wished to do me harm, they would have done so some time ago.

The stranger did not talk a lot, so I couldn't really find out much about my predicament. And the things he did talk about made no sense to me.

Western Lands. Food. Demons. And other bullshit like that.

Was the stranger crazy? I have entertained that thought more than once. After all, who carries another human being with himself and speaks of such crazy topics.

I really wa...

* * *

 _Day 8_

* * *

...I fell asleep, didn't I?

Shit. I really hated this. Why couldn't I stay awake for longer than a few minutes. You have no idea how much that sucked. I couldn't even really remember what I was contemplating before I fell asleep. I was sure that some higher entity was laughing at me.

''I...ought it...bro..t.'' That annoying voice I mentioned screeched out loud. My head snapped to my right and only now did I notice that I was laying on the ground. Considering the fur that entered my mouth when I turned my head, I was resting on some kind of coat or pelt.

Back to more important matters. What was the voice saying?

Something tickled my face and I giggled. From the smell I knew that it was the strangers hair or his clothes. My tense posture relaxed the moment I realized that he was there.

''Silence.'' His voice was deep and in lack of other words pleasant. The other person immediately heeded the command and shuts its mouth. Thank god. ''Give it to me.''

Give wha...Yeah, that's my meal. As much as I was grateful for the strangers help, he could at least warn me before he stuck something into my mouth. He was lucky that I was quiet hungry, otherwise I would have thrown a tantrum. Or as much of a tantrum that I could throw with almost immobile limbs, not working vocal chords and bad eyesight.

Yeah, I was in some deep shit.

* * *

 _Day 18  
_

* * *

I admit to not being the brightest of people.

Or rather being really, really dumb. How I didn't see this one coming would stay a mystery for the years to come.

I knew that I had died, yet I did not conclude the one thing that would have answered all the questions I had been asking myself for some time now. The only thing I kept repeating in my head was that I died and I lived, completely missing the one step in between.

 _Rebirth._

I had died. I had been reborn. And now I lived.

As it turns out, the stranger wasn't a stranger but my new father.

I'm sure you're asking yourself how I have come upon this great revelation. Let me tell you.

My eyesight had been getting better with each day. The distinct shapes around me turned into normal looking trees and the stranger finally received a face. The first time I saw him clearly I thought that he was a woman. That changed immediately when I got a better look. It became obvious that he was a male, but he was probably the most beautiful person I had ever seen. It should have made me feel self conscious. It didn't.

As it turns out the stranger had long, silky _white_ hair and large _golden_ eyes. There were odd markings on his face, which gave him an exotic appearance.

But above all else he was _huge._ He towered over me with more than a meter.

Or maybe it was me who was just _smaller._

It would be a lie if I told you that I hadn't been suspecting something along those lines for some time now. I had, but it wasn't an easy thing to accept. I could barely deal with the fact that I had died, how could I accept that I had been reborn?

But as I looked upon my new father—he couldn't be anything else, not with the way he was looking after me—I couldn't deny the truth anymore. Especially because it explained all the things that had been unanswered till then.

Children were generally born with underdeveloped eyes, thus they couldn't see clearly. Their vocal chords weren't much better, so they couldn't speak either. It also explained the fact why I had no teeth in my mouth. They just hadn't grown yet.

There was nothing else I could do but accept this uncommon, or what I thought to be uncommon, situation. And that's exactly what I did.

I threw the biggest tantrum of my life beforehand, but afterwards I managed to accept the fact that I had been reborn.

At least, from what I had seen, I had really good genes. My new name wasn't bad either. _Shizuka._ It could have been a lot worse.

A sad thing that I had noticed was that I did not seem to have a mother in this new life, only a father and that weird green goblin thing that kept following us around.

God, that reminds me about the time I had first seen the annoying voice clearly. As it turns out his name was Jaken and was some kind of goblin thingy. I had cried in terror and fright when I had once awoken face to face with him.

Don't laugh at me. You wouldn't have fared much better. He looked really scary that night.

Besides my crying ceased the moment I saw my new father pummel the green thingy into the ground. It amused me to no end and I giggled.

Anyway, what were we talking about? My new mother, yes. From what I could gather, I wasn't even sure if I was still in my known century. The clothes the stranger wore were old looking. Medieval Japan, maybe?

I had learned to expect the unexpected, so time travel did not seem like so much of a stretch. And if I had truly traveled back in time, that meant that my new mother had most likely died in childbirth. There was no other explanation for the stranger lugging me around like he did. If my new mother had been still alive I would have been with her.

I did not know how to feel about the revelation that I had most likely killed some innocent woman.

Well, at least my new father seemed to care about me. And then there was the green goblin thingy. While he was annoying, he did know how to take care of me when my new father couldn't.

This whole situation did not seem so bad anymore.

If only I had known.


	3. Howling At The Moon

**Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced in a world I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 3_

 _Howling At The Moon_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where 'Humanity' Gained A New Definition_

* * *

 _"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."  
\- VERBAL KINT (Kevin Spacey) in The Usual Suspects (1995)_

* * *

 _Day 31  
_

* * *

I loved my new father's—I needed to get used to calling him that now.—fur, pelt thingy. It was _so_ soft and warm, I imagined that clouds would feel like that if they didn't consist of water.

Even though I was trapped in that thing for more than half of the time I spent here, I still couldn't hate it.

Against all reason, being squashed against father's chest and having that fur wrapped around me made me feel _safe._ More safe than I had ever felt before.

I might even go as far and say that I wouldn't have minded being wrapped in it on such a hot day as...well, today. It was the middle of summer and I could feel droplets of perspiration gathering on my temple. The arid air made sure that I was thirsty almost all of the time and my cheeks were constantly flushed because of the heat.

It was one of _those_ days.

Luckily, father decided that it would be a good idea to spend our it near a river in the shade of a tree. It provided us with a water source and a place to cool off in.

It was a shame that he never let me enter the river by myself. That might have been the responsible thing to do—Who would let a not even toddler bath by herself in a deep river? I would have certainly drowned if he had.—but I truly missed my independence.

At least he submerged me in the water, holding me under my armpits and making sure that I didn't drown. Afterwards I was allowed to explore the little clearing.

It was a pretty clearing.

On another note, I couldn't remember a time in which we had stayed at the same place for longer than a few hours.

The heat must have been really getting to him.

With not much to do, I spend the day exploring all the things in my immediate reach and counting the flowers I could see.

The thing is, I could only count so many flowers before I felt like I might go insane. So, I decided to study my supposedly sleeping—I was more than sure that he wasn't sleeping.—father.

He didn't look older than nineteen. With his long hair and aristocratic features he couldn't be mistaken for anything but royalty. And let's not forget about his expensive silk clothes. They probably cost more than all the outfits I possessed in my previous life.

Slowly, one of his golden eyes cracked open and he gazed at me with slight curiosity. ''What is it, Shizuka?''

I could feel the sun slowly setting behind me, less and less sun rays grazing my skin. The heat would soon disappear with the sun. I really wanted to go into the water for one last time before that happened.

Turning my head slightly, I pointed at the river.

Fortunately, he understood what I meant. There would have been no point in me trying to tell him. My vocal chords still weren't developed enough. Only babbling came out of my mouth.

''You will be cold, Shizuka. The sun is already setting.'' He was completely unimpressed with the glare I sent his way. ''You can put your feet inside. Nothing else.''

I wanted to pout, but that would have been too childish. Instead I stuck my nose in the air and proceeded to ignore him. (That wasn't childish at all, I tell you)

And if someone asked, I would forever deny that I squealed when he picked me up from the ground. Nope, that never happened.

Father put me down near the riverbed and started pulling his funny trousers upwards. Not before he send a reprimanding look my way. A look that stopped me from pursuing my plan of dragging myself into the cool river. Yeah, he could be scary sometimes.

Cautiously, as if the cold bothered him, he sat down and submerged his legs in the river. The water reached his knees. Man, was I jealous.

Thankfully, father did reach out for me and pulled me onto his lap. There I managed to position myself comfortably—sitting, I was sitting, leaned heavily against his chest—and finally put my feet into the water.

I admit, it was colder than I expected it to be. Or maybe it was the cool wind that started to blow around us when the sun set behind the horizon.

''I warned you about the cold.'' His deep voice rumbled.

I choose to ignore him and continued observing the changing scenery. The cool winds ruffled the grass and send some flower petals into the air. Small fireflies came out of their hiding place and illuminated the small clearing.

The full moon's light reflected upon the rivers surface, giving everything an otherworldly glow.

For a moment I felt as if I had entered some kind of fairy tail. So unbelievably beautiful that it just couldn't be real.

But it was. This new place and life, it was my new reality.

My legs moved on their own accord and started splashing water—softly at the beginning, then completely uncontrolled—all around me. The cold droplets sent shivers down my spine.

It amused me to no end. I blamed it on my young brain.

Father's arm snaked around my waist and pulled me completely out of the water. His white hakama was drenched and glued to his skin.

The deep growl that left his throat— _Not human. He wasn't human. Animalistic.—_ didn't seem threatening at all.

I couldn't help the large and content grin that stretched upon my face.

* * *

 _Day 50  
_

* * *

Whenever _white and go,_ no, father left me with Jaken, the little goblin took it upon himself to teach me how to talk. Since the little green babysitter didn't know any better, I decided to indulge him. Besides, there wasn't really anything else to do.

I could count flowers or insects for a thousandth time, but that did not make the 'game' any more interesting.

And fact was, not being able to talk sucked.

Sighing, I focused on whatever Jaken was screeching.

''Repeat after me, Shizuka-hime.'' His face scrunched up weirdly. ''Oo-touu-saa-ma.''

I certainly wouldn't be pronouncing it like that. People would start thinking that I had some speech disorder.

I took a deep intake of air and scrunched up my face as if I was contemplating something.

Jaken's eyes widened. He was waiting for me to say something.

My small hands reached out towards his face and grasped it, turning him a little in my direction.

The goblins eyebrows shoot up. He still looked hopeful.

I exhaled all the excess of air and giggled childishly. The expression on his face the moment he realized that I was making fun of him was priceless. Even more so when I started pinching his cheeks.

They actually didn't turn red but violet. How curious.

''Shizuka-hime!'' He cried out in outrage, a pout already forming on his lips.

My giggling rang through the whole forest, and I wasn't being vain when I said that it sounded like the gentle chiming of silver bells.

A rare gentleness entered his eyes and he ruffled my hair. ''The next time I wont let you get away as easily as today.'' Jaken looked to our right. ''Sesshomaru-sama is coming.''

How did he know? That wasn't normal(Let's forget about the fact that I was ignoring him being a goblin.).

I might just as well have been ignoring that I knew how he knew that father was nearby. Just like Jaken, I could smell him. His scent carried to us with the mild breeze.

I shouldn't have been able to smell him. Why could I smell him?

Somewhere, deep inside of me I hoped that I was just imagining things. Imagining the smell of sandalwood and lavender and that unique scent that was just so...him.

How much I wished that all this was just a bad dream.

Father— _white and gold_ —stepped out from behind a tree and entered the small clearing, shattering those brittle hopes into little jagged pieces.

With him came that familiar smell of blood. Seeing red— _blood, crimson blood—_ stains on his normally pristine clothes should have scared me.

It didn't.

After all, it wasn't his blood. That, I could smell.

And wasn't that fucked up. I could smell that a man I had known for about two months had foreign blood on his clothes and didn't care about it for even a little bit.

What did that make me? What did the fact that my mouth watered at the smell make me?

Father picked me up into his strong arms. His eyes softened—They always did when he regarded me.—and I wrapped my small chubby arms around his neck.

Jaken was practically gazing at us with hearts in his eyes. I smiled softly, forcing those dreadful thoughts out of my mind. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready to face this new reality.

The little goblin might have been irritating, but he wasn't all bad. Like fungus, he grew on you.

My eyes moved towards my new father and I grinned proudly. The time had come for my big show. I had been training it for a while now, always at night when I could at least pretend that he wasn't watching me. ''Oo...Oto...Otou!''

I think Jaken actually fainted.

Father was little more reserved—stone faced—with his reaction. However, I think I saw the corners of his lips turning slightly upwards.

That was quite the achievement.

* * *

 _Day 94_

* * *

Crawling was a huge achievement for me. Not that I minded being carried by father or anything but it did get boring after some time.

Besides, it opened a whole new world for me. This new world, wherever it was, was beautiful. The nature untouched by humanity's cruel hand. When I said that there was a lot of green around me it wasn't completely true.

Well, back then it had been but now that I could see and explore I changed my mind. Flowers of all colors grew in this forest. Almost _magical_ berries surrounded the ground near some trees. Then there were those really weird looking insects.

I nearly peed my pants when an ant the size of my father's hand walked by me. Seconds later it found itself squashed under father's shoe.

I did not leave his arms for the whole day.

''Shizuka-hime! Do not eat the berries!'' Jaken shouted from my left. In time I had learned to understand his screeching.

My gaze moved from him towards the neon yellow berry in my right hand. It was _neon yellow,_ I would have never tried to eat it. But I did enjoy seeing Jaken reacting like that.

The imp, he told me that that's what he was, really needed to relax sometimes.

But I did not blame him for behaving this way. Father had left me in his care for an hour or two—never longer—and would most likely kill him if something were to happen to me.

I put the berry down on the ground and started to crawl in his direction, only to stop directly in front of him. ''Otou?''

Jaken looked me once over, as if checking if the berry took a bite out of me. ''Sesshomaru-sama shall be back soon.''

Sometimes I wondered if they truly expected a child of my physical age to understand what they were saying.

Maybe it had something to do with my fast growth?

''Are you tired, Shizuka-hime?'' He asked with his screechy voice and my eyes snapped open. When had I closed them?

I really hated this new body.

However, I knew better than to resist sleep's sweet call and started to make my way towards the white pelt father had left behind. It was the most comfortable pelt I had ever had the pleasure to sleep on.

As I was a little more than tired, Jaken ended up dragging me there for more than half of the way.

* * *

 _Day 135_

* * *

There were many negative aspects to my character. Not even half as much positive ones. I was a selfish liar who sometimes enjoyed seeing people twitching uncomfortably. I was a vengeance seeker, making anyone who wronged me pay. A firm believer of an eye for an eye.

But it would be no lie if I told you that I was accepting. In my previous life I had been an American—yes, an American, despite my Japanese origins—and a firm believer of equality.

When my elder sister came home one day and announced that she would be bringing her _girlfriend_ over in a few days, I merely shrugged and told her that I couldn't wait to meet her. When my elder brother introduced us to his Afro-American fiancee, I smiled and asked her to go shopping with me someday. Because let me tell you, that girl had some style.

One year later, Alicia's parents adopted a young boy from India. He became the little sibling I didn't have.

I never really cared for someones origin or sexuality. Why should I? It had nothing to do with me.

After all, who was I to tell someone who they could love or not? Why should I judge someone because of their origin?

I would have hated it if someone degraded me because of something I couldn't control, thus I never did it. Or at least I tried to—No one is perfect. There were times I failed.—and often succeeded.

That did not help me to deal with the fact that I wasn't _human_ anymore.

I had known it for some time now. How couldn't I?

Considering the fact that I was growing way too fast for a normal baby, that my senses were better than they had ever been and that my new father could never be a human—not with his unnatural grace and beauty—I had suspected for a while now that I wasn't human. Let's not forget about Jaken, the green goblin that should have not existed.

One question—That's a lie. There were thousands of questions—remained. What was I?

There were many options, really. Especially now that I finally got a good look at myself.

Father—it was still so weird to call him that—decided the time had come for me to take a bath. Not that he hadn't bathed me before, oh man had that been awkward for me, but it was the first time that I managed to glimpse my reflection.

I looked older than the four and a half months I should have been. If I had to guess, I had the height of a human six to seven months old toddler. My white hair didn't even reach my shoulders and golden eyes adorned my chubby face. Red and violet markings lined the skin of my body, a beautiful crescent moon on my temple.

I had pointy ears. Did that mean that I was some kind of _fairy?_

 _Perhaps not_ , I couldn't help but think when I noticed the small white tail protruding from my behind. Yeah, you've read right, a tail. A small fluffy white tail.

If I hadn't been slightly hysterical—How hadn't I noticed that I possessed another sort of limb?—, I might have actually smiled at my new appearance. I was a cute little girl.

But right now I could only think about one thing. What the fuck was I? A shapeshifter? Some kind of voodoo witch? A fucking vampire?

Fortunately, father appeared at my side before a mild panic attack could start. He looked a little worried. Maybe he thought that I was drowning or something? Actually, how did he know that something was wrong? ''What is it, Shizuka?''

I gazed into his eyes, the only indicators of his worry, and marveled at how inhuman yet beautiful they were. Rich golden irises with slit pupils. Mine were identical. ''What we, Otou?''

I still couldn't talk as good as I would have liked to. But it was enough. He knew what I meant.

He put a baby blue kimono over my shoulders and secured it. I smiled slightly, thankful for his attentiveness. The wind was cold against my wet skin. ''What has brought on this question?''

I bit my lip, the sharp fang that has started to grow out of my gum almost breaking my skin. ''The children diff...diffret...different.''

A few days ago we had passed by a village. Children had been playing near a rice field and stopped immediately when they noticed us. No one has ever looked at me with such an amount of fear. It was as if we were the bogeyman or something.

More importantly, all of them were _human._ No strange features, overly fancy clothes or supernatural powers.

Why were we different? What were we?

Father sat down gracefully and gently pulled me onto his lap. ''They were human, Shizuka.''

 _Human_. How dreadful that word had become. ''What we?''

''There are many names our kind has but the most common one is Inuyokai.'' Father said this as if there was nothing wrong with that statement. Maybe there wasn't.

How could there be something wrong with it when he didn't know otherwise? He had always been like this, never belonging to an obviously weaker kind.

 _Inuyokai._ _Dog Demon_. _How was this even my life?_

As if sensing my turmoil—Could he _sense_ it?—father started to stroke my hair and a deep rumbling growl left his mouth. It was strangely comforting. ''Why does this trouble you so much, little pup? Could it be the fear you smelled from those children?''

I paused. Fear? Was that the horrid yet enticing smell permeating the air on that fateful day near the village.

I nodded, knowing that there wasn't any other way to explain my weird behavior. Besides, it wasn't a complete lie. Their fear did bother me. My reaction to that fear bothered me even more.

After all, the smell hadn't been just horrible but _enticing_ as well.

How could I even think like this? To like the fear of small children? Was this some kind of instinct?

''There is nothing wrong with the way you are feeling. Wether it is positive or negative, Shizuka.'' He looked thoughtful. ''If you wish, we may avoid human villages for a while.''

A smile formed on my lips. There wasn't really anything else we could do.

In the future, I would have to accept the fact that I was a demon now. But the future was still far off, I would avoid it as long as I could.

Somehow, being a fairy did not sound so bad anymore.


	4. You're Still Alive In My Head

**Greetings from England! I'm currently visiting some family friends and it's great here.  
**

 **It's wonder that I found the time to update this chapter. The only reason why I updated it today is that I actually planned to do this last week. So, here is Chapter 4 of 'Till The World Stops Turning'.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced in a world I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Edited on the 19th of August 2016**_

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 4_

 _You're Still Alive In My Head_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Remembered An Old Dream_

* * *

 _"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."_  
 _― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy_

 _"It takes a huge effort to free yourself from memory"_  
 _― Paulo Coelho, Aleph_

* * *

 _Day 136_

* * *

Ignorance truly was a bliss.

For some it might sound overly dramatic, but accepting that I didn't belong to the 'human race' anymore wasn't easy.

Especially because I didn't even know what it meant.

I grew faster than in my previous life. Did that mean that I would die early or was I some kind of Renesmee Cullen? Father had been only feeding me with milk till now, but that would change soon. What did demons eat? Considering the sharp canine teeth growing out of my gum, I could only guess that it wasn't fruit mash.

Did demons actually eat... _humans?_ Or was this new existence meant to be more along the lines of demon contracts and devouring souls? Maybe we had to serve some evil lord? Lucifer, perhaps.

It didn't matter how much I wanted this to be some kind of fairy tail. This whole situation wasn't a story that was destined to have a happy ending. Neither was it some teenage daydream about prince charming and vampires.

There had been times in my previous life where I had imagined becoming something _more._ How it would be to have supernatural senses and to live forever. I thought it would be 'cool' to be a vampire. The whole blood thing couldn't be so bad, could it?

But now that I was facing a similar situation, I could easily confirm that such a 'blood thing' would indeed be very _bad._

The positive aspects of this new existence were by far outweighed by the unknown.

The only thing that stopped me from being completely hysterical was that I had never seen father do any of those things. I think that I would have noticed him stealing souls from innocent virgins or something along those lines.

Yeah, everything would be fine. Nothing to worry about.

Unless, I considered the times father left me in Jaken's care for hours worrisome.

Alright, I needed to stop this before I had a panic attack. Positive thoughts. I needed to think positive thoughts.

At least I wasn't reborn as a _boy_? Gender-bending would have been on a whole new level of awkwardness.

Yeah, that's something really positive. Imagine, me as a boy. I would have been a horrible boy. A really horrible boy.

However, if I were a boy, I wouldn't have my period anymore. I wouldn't be on the painful end of procreation. And I would have a lot of more freedom in this century.

Maybe being a boy wouldn't have been so bad.

Those were really positive thoughts, hmm?

I better take a nap before my head explodes from overthinking everything. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

* * *

 _Day 158_

* * *

''Shizuka-hime! Wait, Shizuka-hime!'' Jaken shouted as he ran after me. My by now longer and stronger legs managed to carry me farther and farther away from the little imp. Not long ago I had grown enough to be a few inches taller than him. Considering the fact that he had the height of about sixteen inches, me being taller than him was nothing to be proud of.

But it did greatly amuse me that my legs were longer than his, which lead to me being faster than him. It made the running all the more humorous.

This just proved my suspicion that I had changed. I was me, and yet I wasn't.

Never had I been so playful before. Not even during my first childhood. Back then I had been a quite reserved child, preferring to watch from the sidelines as children played wildly or partake in more quiet endeavors. Painting, I had been a fan of painting.

This new chance—It had to be a second chance.—changed me, as did the body I now possessed.

My new instincts were as amusing as they were terrifying.

The most mundane actions were enjoyable. Small and insignificant movement attracted my attention.

 _I relished human fear._

Or fear in general, really. The smell of it seemed to attract some baser instincts of mine.

Those instincts, they _scared_ me.

''Shizuka-hime! Look out!'' Jaken screeched, trying to warn me about my impending collision with a tree branch.

I managed to duck in the last second, the top of my head just barely grazing the branch. Afterwards I jumped clumsily over a few stones and continued running forward.

God, spacing out like this could be truly dangerous. I didn't remember having such experiences while supposedly playing 'you're it' or 'hide and seek'. It must have been the demon thing.

Jaken's footfalls became quieter with each step I took. The little imp was falling behind. It was the best time to enact the second part of my grand plan; _hide._

The opportunity presented itself to me in form of a giant tree. With 'giant' I mean that it looked older than the world itself. About thirty copies of myself would be able to hug the tree simultaneously, our arms spread wide and fingertips touching.

Dark brown branches reached out to the heavens and according to a quote I once read its roots must have been in touch with hell. The canopy was so thick and green that no sunlight poured through, creating the perfect hiding place.

I stumbled around the tree—It was a wonder that I did not fall down even once.—and found a small hollowed out space in the tree trunk. Being small had its advantages, an example being fitting into small hiding places.

The hole wasn't ideal, but good enough. Even though my hands were trapped behind my upper body and pressed against the tree, it could have been a lot of worse.

This place didn't smell bad, at least. With my sensitive nose this could have turned into a nightmare.

''Shizuka-hime! Shizuka-hime!'' His voice was as screechy as a pair of nails on a blackboard.

My breath evened and I pressed myself a little more against the bark.

Jaken was somewhere on the other side of the tree. His steps almost silent now, the only indicator of his presence being his loud voice. ''Where are you, Shizuka-hime?!''

I stifled a giggle. The next one wasn't as easy to detain. It rang through the otherwise quiet forest.

''Now I have got you! Wait till Sesshomaru-sama hears of it!'' The little imp liked threatening me with father's supposed wrath. He never actually had the guts to tell him anything. If he did, he would also have to admit that he was incapable of truly taking care of me.

What a disappointment that would be.

I smelled him before I saw or heard him again. The light breeze fluttered through the small entrance and carried Jaken's unique scent to me. Despite what I originally thought and what his appearance promised, the imp did not stink. His smell was pleasant enough and the only thing I could compare it to would be the woods.

A small hand reached out to me and grabbed the front of my kimono. I didn't get the purpose of such an action; it wasn't as if I could get away when he was blocking the only escape.

He tugged slightly on my front. ''You shall come out now, Shizuka-hime.''

And that's exactly what I did. Or at least tried to do and failed miserably.

As it turned out, my recently grown claws got stuck in the tree bark. I had no idea how it happened or how to undo it. Simply pulling them out didn't work.

The hilarity of that situation did not manage to escape my notice. Who the hell got stuck in a tree with their 'not supposed to exist' claws?

I had two options. I could either cry or laugh.

I chose the latter.

''What happened, Shizuka-hime? What are you doing?'' He sounded irritated. I couldn't even imagine how he would react to my news. ''Cease this inappropriate behavior and come out.''

The peals of laughter continued bubbling out of my mouth. I just couldn't stop. The last time I had laughed like this was when I spend a whole day with Ali—laughter subsided— _Alicia._

I missed her. And I missed my family. My mother and my siblings.

Oftentimes I wondered what they were doing. Did they still mourn me or had they moved on with their lives? No matter how selfish it might have been, I did not want them to forget me. Not when the times I remembered them still happened so frequently.

But that did not mean that I wanted them to feel pain. In particular Alicia. I hoped that she was or would be able to forgive herself. I did not blame her for what happened.

 _It had been my choice._

The problem was that I knew her better than anyone else. I did not blame her, but she did. She probably hated herself for what happened and it was my fault.

What did that make me? What did putting myself above my best friend in such a crucial situation make me?

I did not want to know the answer.

''What happened?'' A soft cloth wiped at the tear that ran down my cheek.

Startled, my vision focused on the face in front of me. During my mental absence, Jaken mus have decided to enter the tree.

That sounded weird.

What I said next came out as a mumble. ''Stuck in tree.''

''Stuck in tree.'' Jaken repeated almost dumbly. Then he angled his head to get a better view on the current problem. ''How come?''

I moved forward and tried once again to pull my fingers free. Unsurprisingly, it did not work. ''Fingers stuck in tree.''

Jaken's eyes lit up in understanding. The look on his face made this situation seem like a normal occurrence, as if this was expected to happen. Did he witness something like this before? It did not seem 'normal' to me. In my old life everyone would be already laughing at me.

The little imp maneuvered himself in the small space that was available and grabbed my left forearm with his hands. Without a warning he started to pull.

Had my vocal chords worked properly, then I would have cursed him into the deepest pits of hell. As it was, I cried out in surprise and pain. God, that hurt.

My current caretaker stopped his actions. ''We need to pull them out, Shizuka-hime. It might hurt a little, but I doubt you wish to stay here till Sesshomaru-sama arrives and helps you.''

For a moment I considered the option of just waiting for father. Regrettably, that time could be hours away. Waiting so long wouldn't be pleasant. Besides, the less people knew about this mess, the better it was. This whole thing was embarrassing enough. I did not need any more witnesses.

Squaring my shoulders, I nodded daringly. ''Pull.''

And pull he did. It was through sheer luck that he did not rip all my nails out.

Sadly, we did not achieve anything but a few cries of pain.

''Alright, that wont work.'' No shit, Sherlock. ''We will try it another way.''

'Another way' consisted of him wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging. He tugged and tugged and tugged for what felt like an eternity. The whole process hurt and I did not really see the difference between this attempt and the first one.

And yet, against all expectations, there was a difference. It being the success.

Slowly, the tree released my nails. It was an irritating and sluggish procedure. What mattered was that it worked. I was freed.

Jaken did not notice this in time and continued pulling me. Both of us fell out of the tree—that sounded odd—and onto the ground. Or rather Jaken fell on the forest ground and I onto him.

Alicia would have been laughing her ass off right now.

''Are you alright, Shizuka-hime?'' Father's faithful follower asked.

I regarded him for a second and proceeded to inspect myself.

My kimono was a little dirty from some substance the tree produced and my snow white hair had a gray tinge to it. Then there were two bloody fingers. Their nails had been broken awkwardly.

Eyes narrowed, I looked at Jaken. ''Otou-san need not know.''

He nodded in agreement. Luckily, the little imp shared my opinion. ''Sesshomaru-sama need not know.''

''He need not know. This never happen.'' I nodded vehemently. ''I trip and fall.''

''You tripped and fell.'' He repeated.

We had come to an understanding.

* * *

 _Day 187_

* * *

Apparently having deadly sharp claws wasn't enough. They needed to be poisonous as well.

Like the little innocent child I was, I decided it would entertaining to try catching a butterfly.

It was a pretty butterfly.

Besides, there wasn't anything else to do. After all this time, gathering flowers had gotten really boring. God, I had never been so bored before.

So, when the opportunity of 'hunting' a butterfly presented itself to me, I took it.

I ran after it, jumped, and ran a little faster. Of course I never left my father's sight.

He watched me with an almost bemused expression and did not voice his disapproval each time I fell. The new red kimono he had gotten for me was so dirty that I doubted anyone could ever fully clean it.

My knees had small scraps on them, however they would heal in no time. As I learned, super-healing was another demonic ability. With each day that passed, it seemed as if demons were more and more superior to humans.

This thought terrified me.

Anyway, I managed to catch the butterfly between my two hands. I cupped them around it. Gently, as not to do any harm.

I shouldn't have even tried, at the end it did not matter. Not that this was the end of the world. We were talking about a butterfly, it would have died soon anyway.

I didn't notice that something was wrong immediately. Only when I felt that some of my fingers were strangely sticky and wet did I finally start paying attention.

At first I thought that the butterfly had peed on my hand or something. Ladybirds did that.

Moreover, the substance on my hands had the color of acid green. Where from would I get something like this on my hands?

Unfortunately, the butterfly wasn't the right answer. I concluded that when I noticed half of his left wing gone.

The substance on my fingers was burning the insect. Was it poison? Acid?

I let the butterfly fall out of my hand and backed away slightly. Some of the substance slipped from my fingers and burned the grass below me.

Oh god, would it start burning me soon?

If I had been in the right frame of mind, I would have noticed that it in fact wasn't and most likely wouldn't burn me. But right now, I had some weird fluid on my hands that had killed a butterfly only seconds ago by burning it alive. The fluid hadn't left the grass unscathed either.

Panic set in and I started flailing around with my hands. I had to get the thing of before it started burning, burning, _burning._

And then more of it begun gathering on my hands, flying in all directions and destroying everything in its path.

Why wouldn't it stop?

''Shizuka.'' Father's voice was calm, if not a little irritated. I whirled around to face him and pulled my hands behind my back. I didn't want to hurt him.

Tears were gathering at the corners of my eyes and I backed away from him. What was happening?

Father reached out with his clawed hand and I shook my head, tears finally spilling on my cheeks. ''Shizuka.'' He sounded a little exasperated.

The poison was still flowing down my fingers, burning a patch of my kimono. The wind tingled my untouched skin.

Slowly, I moved my hand from behind my back and showed it to him. My eyes closed tightly and I flinched when his hand touched mine, waiting for the smell of burning flesh.

Except I did not burn him. His skin and kimono stayed unharmed by the acid. And the expression on his face; he looked proud.

I did not understand. Was this normal? Some special growing up step I had achieved?

Looking at him through bleary eyes, I cocked my head questioningly. ''What this?''

''Some Inuyokai are highly poisonous. The strength of the poison is determined by the bloodline. You inherited it from me.'' Father started to wipe the poison gently off my hands. ''With the ability to produce this toxin comes a high resistance against all kinds of poisons and illnesses. Because of our relation you are also completely impervious to my poison.''

His hand glowed slightly, an acid green fluid trailed down his pointer finger and onto my hand.

The few droplets were surprisingly warm instead of scalding. Had I been anyone else, these few droplets would have seared holes into my hand.

I grinned brightly. ''This not bad?''

Father's arms sneaked around my waist and pulled me up against his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck, digging my small claws slightly into his shoulder. ''Not bad at all.''

I smiled.

That smile disappeared hours later. I was ashamed by my reaction. It was so childish and unnecessary that I actually couldn't believe what happened.

But it just proved that I truly was a kid now, huh?


	5. Little Boy In The Grass

**So, I have added the missing scene. It's the first one. If you're interested then read it.**

* * *

 **It's been a month since I last updated. As a consolation this chapter is twice as long as normally.**

 **I actually planned to add another scene but I haven't written it yet and it would take me at least another week to finish it. I thought you would appreciate me updating this chapter a little earlier.**

 **When I have some free time I might add the missing scene.**

 **Anyway, I have been writing more than half of this chapter for the last few hours. It's already 2 am in Germany and I'm too tired to check it for grammatical or spelling mistakes.**

 **I'll be editing the whole story some time in the future, so don't worry.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 5_

 _Little Boy In The Grass_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Was Forced To Learn_

* * *

 _"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."_  
 _― Albert Einstein_

* * *

 _Day 195  
_

* * *

We traveled for a while after the acid incident. For the first time since I entered this new life it seemed as if father actually had a destination in mind. He walked with purpose, always following the sun. The breaks we took became sparse and more often than not I slept at night in my father's arms, while he continued walking.

It was astounding to see how much he could do. Almost a week without any sleep and father still looked like the proud royalty he probably was.

Jaken, the poor imp, had certainly seen better days. He napped a few times and then caught up to us, but he could not do that too often. Father would not wait for him and the small demon wouldn't be able to catch up with us if he slept too long.

I considered asking father for a break, but decided against it. Jaken would have not appreciated me coddling him. He had this constant need to prove himself capable to my father.

As it turned out more than a week later, our destination was a magical clothing store for rich yokai in need of help.

We were both rich and in need of help. More precisely in need of clothing that wouldn't be destroyed by the acid leaking from my claws at random intervals.

After the first time the liquid continued coming from my claws. Two more of my kimonos suffered the same fate as the first one, small holes littering their front and the sleeves nonexistent.

''We are here.'' Father said once we arrived in a clearing with a small waterfall. Otherworldly and beautiful are two words I would use to describe the clearing. Hidden in the middle of the forest and surrounded by large and healthy looking trees, I could only hope that it would be one of the few places not tainted by humanity in the future.

My tiny feet touched the grass, a few colorful wildflowers tickling my skin. ''Where?''

Instead of answering father put a clawed hand on my head. Mist started gathering at our feet and soon condensed into a cloud. As a child I always wondered how it would be to touch a cloud, to taste it. Would it be like the softest of pillows? Taste like cotton candy?

Obviously, I did not try eating it. But I did feel it on the exposed parts of my skin. There was no word that could actually describe how it felt.

However, the cloud reached almost to my stomach and gave me a unique sense of security. Surrounded by my father's pure energy, I almost did not notice how my feet stopped touching the ground.

Sooner rather than later, I did notice.

 _We were flying._

If I hadn't felt so safe at my father's side, I might have shrieked in fear. I had never feared heights, but the feeling of weightlessness and the knowledge that the only thing stopping me from falling was a _cloud_ of all thing, made me almost rethink the whole thing about being safe.

Before I could utter a word, the sight of the waterfall parting in front of us like the sea before Moses made me close my mouth abruptly.

A force of nature parted before us as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And through it we entered a cave. Blue fire torches lightened the dark space and our feet touched the slightly damp ground.

Father hand pushed me lightly forward. Trusting father and his judgment, I moved alongside him.

What happened next probably shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. Our surroundings changed from the slightly lit cave into a pastel blue colored room. Paintings and expensive scrolls decorated the walls. Not far away from us stood a low table with fresh flowers on it.

The room was a weird mix of Japanese and Western.

Did we just go through some kind of portal?

''Who is it?!'' A shrill female voice shouted from outside the room. Opposite of a us a shoji door was slid open and a middle aged woman entered the room. ''We do not...''

She stopped talking once she saw who was standing before her. A delicate hand reached up and put a strand of dark blue tinted hair behind her ear. ''Sesshomaru-sama.'' The woman bowed, her silver eyes lowering themselves to the floor. ''It is my pleasure to welcome you inside my humble home.''

Her body straightened up and her gaze fell upon me. Silver eyes widened audibly.

''My daughter is in need of clothing.'' Silver eyes blinked in surprise at his monotonous statement. Was it really so unthinkable for father to have a child?

What happened next left me speechless. The dark haired woman bowed for me. ''Hime-sama.''

A question that plagued my mind for some time now arose. Who exactly was my father to warrant such a respect for me, his not even one years old daughter?

''What clothing does the young hime need?'' Looking at father, she spoke up in a respectful manner. ''Perhaps we should discuss this further in the adjoining room?''

Nodding in agreement, father started walking towards the door, pulling me alongside him in the process because of the the tight grip I had on his hakama. When had I taken a hold of it?

I realized the true purpose of our visit once we entered the adjoining room. This 'humble home' was a giant shop. Dozens of different kimonos and other clothing articles were in the room. Orange, blue, red and yellow and so much more.

They were hung near the walls or put neatly inside dark brown shelves.

''We have many models and colors. Which do you prefer, Sesshomaru-sama?'' Clawed female hands touched a few kimonos to our left. They were modest and in different pastel shades.

''They need to be made from the same material as mine.'' The impassive expression never left his face. ''As for the color, white should be good enough, Shirona.''

White? Really?

''Of course, Sesshomaru-sama.'' With bustling steps Shirona moved to one of the shelves at the other side of the room. Two snow white kimonos were held up for us to see. One had silver trims. ''Those two are impervious to many acids and some yoki.''

They weren't ugly or anything, but white and boring. Really?

Besides, the clothing seemed to be more than two sizes too big for me.

Using his hand to push me lightly in the shopkeeper's direction, father told me to go to the changing room with Shirona. ''She will help you try on the clothes, Shizuka.''

''Otou-san.'' Knowing better than to try and force my way, I decided to use my only weapon. Puppy-dog eyes. ''No white.''

Amusement appeared in his golden eyes. ''No white?''

My hand reached out and tugged on his sleeves. A little more forcefully I repeated my previous statement. ''No white. Color.''

His lips twitched into a smile that disappeared before Shirona could catch a glimpse of it. ''You heard her.''

We ended up purchasing the two white kimonos _―_ apparently Shirona could change their size magically _―_ and three colorful ones. My favorite by far was a bright red one with rosy, white and silver flowers at the trims.

* * *

Day 220

* * *

I had a real talent for getting into trouble. I may not have been an adult—a fifteen-years-old trapped in the body of a toddler, that's what I was—and thus no one could expect me to be overly responsible, however, I truly should have known better.

I mean, teasing Jaken during one of my father's absences was alright. Him loosing sigh of me made the whole thing even funnier.

But me loosing sight of him? Well, that should have never happened.

I wasn't stupid enough to believe I could survive in the forest by myself. If I had been in my previous home, where bloodthirsty demons did not walk around in open daylight, this whole thing wouldn't have been such a problem. Here, I was nothing but prey surrounded by unknown predators.

I didn't even know how I managed to get away from the little imp. Normally, he was so attentive that I couldn't distance myself from him for more than a few feet.

Maybe something else caught his attention?

Hypothesizing about how I managed to get away would not change the fact that by the time I realized that something was wrong, it was already too late. I was in the middle of a forest and Jaken nowhere to be seen or smelled.

And here I was, walking down a narrow forest path and trying to find a trace of my caretaker. The autumn breeze brushed past my white kimono and the only thing I could smell was that it would start raining soon.

Wasn't that freaky? You're totally jealous, I know.

Honestly now, this ability wasn't bad. At least I knew that I would have to find Jaken in the next few hours or any chances at me tracking him down would be completely gone. The rain would wash away all the traces and I doubted that the little imp would have any more luck at finding me than I at finding him.

Another important thing was that I would need to find shelter. Sickness wasn't very high on my danger list but it wouldn't do me any good to tempt fate.

With my nose stuck up in the air, trying to find something useful, I continued walking leisurely. Besides the forest, there was nothing around me. No food, no water, _no yokai._

I was thankful. While I believed that I could protect myself from a human or at least get away from one, there was no chance for me surviving an encounter with an unfriendly demon. I would become a chew-toy of the finest kind.

Despite my generally good stamina—It might have been better than ever, even when I was still a fifteen years old human.—I soon started to tire and my feet ached. The forest that normally looked so magical was now like a cursed labyrinth.

Being apart from the two only adults in my life made me jumpy. The sound of chirping birds managed to scare me a few times and as unused as my stomach was to longer periods without food it started to growl.

I was getting hungry.

Exactly that hunger helped my nose find a source of food. The smell was sweet and carried by a stronger gust of wind.

Some berries, perhaps.

My feet moved in the right direction before I even registered what that unknown scent was.

Straying from the forest path, I walked into a bush that hid a bunch of nettles. The only protection I had against them was my kimono and a small pair of shoes. The skin on my legs still managed to sustain damage.

It would heal soon enough, that was a great consolation.

After what felt like forever, I managed to pass the underbrush. There was a small tear in my kimono as well as a few green stains. When father finally found me—I did not doubt for a second him finding me.—the destroyed kimono would be my smallest worry.

His death glare directed on me would be anything but pleasant.

Anyway, in front of me there was a boy in the grass, sitting among thousands of wild daisies. With his fluffy goat ears and little horns he looked like an excerpt of a Disney movie. Those traits reminded me of a goat or antelope. Due to my excellent sense of smell, I could easily identify him as something at least partly human.

A Yagi or Anterōpu hanyou?

The young boy wasn't much of a threat. He seemed to be about my physical age and, no matter how cruel it might have sounded, the child was only a half demon. His blood diluted by the human mother that sat besides him.

Now, that woman was a threat. Certainly more than him.

I had a choice. I could reveal myself to them and hope that the young mother wouldn't perceive me as a threat. I doubted she could truly harm me; should she try I would just run away and if that didn't work I still had my poisonous claws.

Needless to say, I would protect myself in the case of an attack.

Anyway, my other option was leaving and hoping that I would find shelter and something edible in the forest. That prospect did not appear appealing to me.

The choice was made by my stomach that growled somewhat loudly. Fortunately, it wasn't loud enough for the small family to hear.

I took one step and then another. With my third step I did a mistake all amateurs do, I stepped on a twig. The small stick snapped in half and alerted the young woman to my presence.

Her head whirled in my direction and she squinted her eyes. Was she nearsighted?

''Who are you?'' From what I could see and hear, I guessed that she was about eighteen years old. A little young to be a mother but not uncommon in these times.

I shuffled my feet and stepped out of a tall tree's shadow. ''A..Ano, I am Shi..Shizuka.''

Did I just _stutter?!_

I really needed to start spending time with people other than father or Jaken. I had never been shy before.

The girl was standing on her feet now. From her protective position in front of her son she regarded me with suspicion. ''What are you doing here?''

I steeled myself to keep my voice from quivering. ''I lost Otou-san.''

The young hanyou stuck his head out from behind her knees. He was a curious little thing.

She did not say anything, only continued regarding me with suspicion. But I did think that her eyes softened slightly when she realized that I was no threat. Her hard demeanor seemed to dissipate completely when my stomach growled loud enough to be heard miles away. She must have been a sucker for cute little kids.

Not turning her back to me, she knelt down and reached into a small bag I hadn't noticed before. A big apple was what she produced out of it. My mouth watered.

After giving her small son a stern look, the young mother moved a few steps away from him. ''Come.''

Knowing that she was talking to me, I took a few steps into her direction. Just like her eyes mine full of suspicion. She did not seem dangerous but trusting her too easily would be stupid.

We met in the middle. An arm's length away from each other.

The apple was put in front of my feet and with deliberate steps she moved back to her son. Once again her gaze did not stray away from me.

It was very nice of her to give me an apple. The only problem was that I did not have enough teeth to bite into it comfortably. My claws ended up being my solution.

I used them to cut the apple into small pieces and stuck thus into the areas of my mouth where teeth were already present. It was probably one of the worst meals I had in this new world. Still better than the weeks of milk though.

The girl sat down next to her son once again and kept a keen eye on me. She must have known I was a full blooded demon. Did she fear I would jump her son and try to eat him or what would inevitably come with me: my demon father?

I guessed it did not matter.

What mattered was that I needed her help and the only way to get it was through her son. Trying to hurt him would be stupid. I was too young and weak to try something like that. Besides I did not like the thought of hurting children. Which meant I would have to gain his trust.

The boy gave me the perfect opportunity when he started inching in my direction. His mother focused her whole attention on us, ready to stand up and interfere the moment I decided to do something wrong.

He plumped down a feet away from me. Flower petals flew in the air and gave off a good smell. '' I'm Hakuryuu.''

For a comical second I thought about an anime I once watched. _Magi._

One of its characters had the same name. The Hakuryuu in front of me seemed to be that character's complete opposite. Tan skin and two dark green eyes. Unscarred face and dishwater blonde hair. He wore a simple brown kimono.

I almost laughed at my own thoughts.

Instead of doing this though, I smiled shyly. ''Shizuka.''

That turned out to be the right thing to do. Hakuryuu mustn't have had many friends because he immediately took a liking to me.

I never thought I was a very likeable person.

But the important thing was that after a few hours of the two of us playing in the grass, the girl, whose name I found out to be Yukina, reluctantly invited me into her home.

She fed us some kind of broth and even changed my dirty clothes.

Both of them were good people.

As I predicted rain soon fell from the sky. Cold winds and lightning raged outdoors. But I was safe, tucked inside a thick blanked and out of nature's range.

That night, tired from all that happened, I fell asleep in a matter of seconds and did not wake up till the next morning's sun rays touched my face.

* * *

 _Day 221  
_

* * *

I awoke to the smell of apples and peaches. The sun flitted into the room through a small window and blinded my eyes. There was a tiny body curled against me.

 _Hakuryuu_

Memories of the day before flitted across my mind and I winced at my own stupidity.

 _How could I have gotten lost like that?_

My gaze moved to the small hanyou at my side and I couldn't stop the smile that came onto my face. He was a sweet kid that did not deserve what his hybrid nature would doubtlessly bring him.

Untangling his fingers from the gray kimono his mother had dressed me in, I sighted heavily at the thought of what was awaiting me.

I knew that I couldn't stay with this small family for much longer. Selfish I may have been but that did not mean that I wished to be too much of a bother for this small family.

From what I had seen they did not have much to begin with, Yukina did not need another mouth to feed.

A part of me hoped father would find me soon while another slightly feared that day. I knew that father would never hurt me. But seeing his angry and disappointed face wouldn't be much better than that.

I stood up from the child-sized futon and slowly made my way out of the room.

Yukina was the typical Japanese woman. Dark haired and fair skinned. She had bottomless dark brown eyes and her built was rather frail. However, I knew that there was nothing she wouldn't do for her own son, even if it surpassed her body's capabilities.

The teenage girl was bustling around the kitchen, preparing two separate breakfasts for us children and herself.

''Awake?'' I jumped at the sound of her voice and decided to not answer the rhetorical question. ''Why don't you settle down at the table. Food will be ready soon.''

They had one of those traditional low tables. I did not know the proper way to sit down at them and choose not to pretend otherwise. Plopping down on a small pillow, I started to look around the room.

There was a small counter near the wall where Yukina seemed to keep all the ingredients and kitchen utensils. A small fire place could be found in the middle of the room and the table I now sat at was located in a far off corner. That was all the furniture that adorned the room.

A small bowl full of what looked and smelled like cooked apples and peaches was put in front of me. I looked up at the woman who had invited me into her home and smiled. ''Thank you.''

Her eyes had lost yesterday's suspicion. ''You are welcome.''

My eyes snapped to the doorway when I heard the shuffling of two feet. Hakuryuu must have been awoken by the smell of food. The young boy stood before us with sleep filled eyes and slightly twitching ears. ''Breakfast?''

Yukina gave her son a radiant smile. ''Yes. Sit down at the table and I will bring you your share.''

The boy listened without a complain and followed his mother's orders. He sat down next to me and grinned sleepily. ''Oka-san makes the best breakfast.''

It was such a typical child thing to say that I just couldn't help the short laugh that bubbled out of my mouth. ''I'm sure.''

When Yukina settled down opposite of us, we were finally allowed to eat. I mean, we could have done so earlier but it did not seem like the polite thing to do.

Talking during breakfast wasn't polite either, thus we ate in silence.

''Why don't you go play outside while I wash the dishes?'' Yukina asked after she finished chewing on her last piece of tomato.

''Play?'' Hakuryuu's eyes lightened up and he grabbed my hand. I almost spilled the last spoon of my fruit mash. ''Let's go, let's go, let's go!''

We were out of the house before I could even comprehend what was happening.

My naked feet stepped on damp grass and a shudder ran down my body. It had rained heavily last night.

A poke at my stomach directed my attention to the boy before me. ''You it.''

And then he was off once again, leaving me to stand dumbly in front of his home.

Well, at least I now had something other than gathering flowers to do.

And off I was as well. Hakuryuu was faster than any human child could ever be but not too fast for me. With slight effort I managed to catch up to him and poke his shoulder.

By then my gray kimono's edges were completely damp and had a green tinge to them. My muddied feet changed their direction and I started to run away from my new I dare say _friend._

I couldn't really relate to him on a mental basis, but physically he was almost my equal. Besides, Hakuryuu was a nice kid and in a few years I would certainly get along with him splendidly.

Our small game of tag continued for sometime. We had to take a break only a handful of times in between, our demon stamina allowing us to run for longer amounts of time.

Like the kid he was, Hakuryuu talked about the most nonsensical things. I choose to play nice and smile while nodding at what he said.

Feeling safe, I let my guard down which turned out to be a huge mistake.

Because of my own stupidity I noticed the human males walking towards us too late. Haku and I were way to tired to just run away from them and there wasn't enough time for us to hide.

But how should I have known that they would react in such a way to our presence?

''Look.'' One of them pointed at us with a finger and sneered. ''A pair of hanyou.''

I was a pure-blooded yokai, thank you very much.

His three friends stopped moving and turned to look at us. Their eyes were cold and I knew that I had to get us both out of there.

My hand reached out for Haku's and I started tugging him back towards his home.

Rule number one: When running away from someone, never look back.

I did not, but that did nothing to safe us. We were both tired from our earlier games and Haku was rather unwilling to keep moving. He had no idea of the danger we were in.

One of the man, a large and burly one, grabbed the back of the boy's clothes. He pulled harshly which made me loose my balance and hold on Haku's hand.

The man, now surrounded by his other friends, threw the young boy harshly to the ground.

''Fucking yokai spawn.'' He muttered and I could smell some of the sake he must have drunk in the morning. ''We do not want your kind in our village.''

The other three men gave shouts of agreement.

I myself couldn't quite believe what was happening. Call me naive, but how could someone hurt such a sweet child?

Swiftly, I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the burning sensation of my scrapped palms and knees, and hurried to help the young boy. A few tears were flowing down his cheeks as he rightened himself from his laying position.

Once again I tried to push him in his home's direction. This time he offered no resistance.

''Maa, maa, where do you think you are going?'' Another man asked. He smaller than the first one. That did not make him any less intimidating.

During my inattention he had somehow managed to cut off our only escape. Logically, we could try running somewhere else, the woods for example, but these men seemed to be the lesser evil compared to that.

Last time I had been lucky enough to not come across another yokai, this time I might not be.

The chances of surviving an encounter with a yokai were smaller than the ones of surviving the confrontation with these men.

I was the adult here—No, I wasn't and had never been. The only thing I was was afraid—, thus I put myself in front of Haku and tried to shield him with my body.

Perhaps I should have tried threatening them with my fathers presence or something, however, I doubted it would have done me any good.

They laughed at our quivering forms. A sob passed Haku's lips. The hair on my neck prickled.

The woods did not sound like such a bad idea anymore. I knew this situation wouldn't end well. Especially when I saw one of them raising a hand in our direction. The burly one that looked as if he could lift a truck.

What happened next I saw as if it was in slow motion. His hand moved in the direction of my face and I pulled the young yagi hanyou even tighter against my back. Then I steeled myself for an impact that would never come.

White appeared in my vision. Only inches away from my face his hand stopped moving. Yukina cried out somewhere in the background.

 _The familiar smell of sandalwood and lavender filled my nose._

White cloth obscured the vision of my right eye while the left one observed with a sick relief how a clawed hand almost crushed the human male's wrist.

Father stood before me. And he was _angry._

Shacking with pent up rage. His eyes a color I had never seen before. While the iris was still gold, his sclera had turned bloody red.

He looked ready to murder us all.

The humans that weren't held in place by him, reacted wisely by running away.

A bestial growl rumbled across the clearing.

I felt like digging my own grave and hiding in it. Perhaps father wouldn't find me in there.

His attention might have been on the man, but his aura concentrated on me. I knew that if he wanted to, he _hurt me a lot_ with it.

I also knew I couldn't let him kill that man. Personally, I couldn't care less about what happened to a brute like him.

Regrettably, Hakuryuu was here. No child should ever witness a murder.

With a shaking hand I reached out and grabbed the hem of his hakama. Without our supernatural hearing, he wouldn't have heard me. ''Otou-san?''

His head snapped to me and the look he send my way made me cower. Hakuryuu was wailing now.

Father's grip on the human loosened and he pushed him to the ground. I heard a bone snapping.

Before I could even debate running away, his hand snapped out and landed on the back of my neck.

Instinctively, I froze.

What I felt wasn't something I could easily explain.

Maybe like a child that was caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Yet, instead of the cookie jar there were a dozen of corpses before me and the treat I tried to steal was the murder weapon.

Or something like that.

The better explanation might have been that I felt like an zebra surrounded by a dozen of lions.

Obviously, I was the zebra and father the lion.

Yeah, I wasn't good at creating metaphors.

He did not say a thing as he lifted me at the scruff of my neck and proceeded to carry me in what I presumed to be our destination.

It was as if this one touch completely paralyzed me. No move, no sound.

His anger did not ebb away. He walked and walked and walked.

After a while my position started to get really uncomfortable. It _didn't_ hurt, my body was just starting to get really stiff.

I let out a whimper. It sounded more like a puppy than a human.

Father stopped moving and his body became rigid. When his eyes turned to me I noticed they had lost some redness around the edges.

Like the noble I suspected him to be, father gracefully sat down at the base of a tree. His hand never left my neck.

Another whimper passed my lips. Father growled.

Almost unconsciously my head tilted to the right, exposing my neck to the yokai before me.

 _The ultimate sign of submission._

This time my whimper was accompanied by a few stray tears. I had never acted so instinct driven before.

More of the redness in father's eyes disappeared and his hand slowly lowered me onto his lap.

Once his hand finally released me, I fell forward and my small hand sneaked under the upper part of his clothes. Tiny claws dug themselves into his skin.

Father did not return the touch immediately.

A sound like never before came out of my mouth. Similar to a whimper, yet so much more.

My shoulders relaxed—I hadn't realized how tense I had been for the whole duration of my 'small adventure'.—once I felt his clawed hand running through my hair. His chest rumbled with that soothing sound and his soft tail wrapped itself around my back like a blanket.

We stayed like that for a while.

Father did not let go of me till we reached Jaken's location.

That night father disappeared for hours. When he finally did come back his clothes were stained with blood.

I knew it was blood from the human males that had attacked Haku and me.

No sympathy or guilt bloomed inside my chest at the thought that father had killed them and guessing from the blood I saw on his face maybe even eaten them because of me.

For the next week father kept me cocooned against his chest, only letting go if it was truly necessary.

Never again did I try to run away from Jaken.

* * *

 _Day 255  
_

* * *

Oftentimes I was glad that I did not have a mother in this new life. Previously, I had had a mom and two elder siblings. The memories of them were precious to me and completely irreplaceable.

In my previous life, I never got to meet my father. The term 'father' could be only used loosely to describe the man that took part in my first creation.

Logan Amberson died when I was only two years old. He dragged with himself two innocent bystanders; a woman and her young son. The man also left my twenty-two years old mom with three small children alone.

She did not have a degree or any family of her own to help.

Logan Amberson died in a drunk driving accident. He killed two people and left his family to fend for themselves.

A small part of me hated that man. The rest felt rather apathetic.

Then again, I might have been a little biased.

As a little girl I dreamed of having a dad. How he would take me to the playground and buy me the newest toys. How together with my sister I would watch him teach our brother how to play baseball. How he would be the gentle parent in comparison to our strict mom.

The older I got, the less of those dreams I had. They never disappeared, but most of them changed into something more vicious and less pure.

How could they not? Especially when I watched my mom struggle with all her work, only so that she could give us three an acceptable future.

Soon, Logan Amberson became the man who contributed to my birth. A stranger I never knew and never wanted to know. He wasn't my father.

I did not need him or anyone else to fill that role.

At least, I thought so.

The day I realized I had a father wasn't all that emotionally important. I had been too overwhelmed with the whole situation to truly understand the implications of that.

By the time the whole thing truly registered, I was already dependent on Sesshomaru. His presence soothed me and the deep rumbles that left his body helped me fall asleep.

Still, I doubted him and his ability to take care of me. My new 'father' looked so _young;_ he couldn't possibly be good father material.

My preconceptions had been hard to conquer but despite his youth the man that had involuntarily become my sperm donor—I still cringed at the fact that I actually called him that—somehow managed to do just that.

He rarely left my side. Bathed me. Fed me. Took care of me.

And later, when I found out where I was, I couldn't help but feel a deep respect for him. If one considered the time period we were in, he did a lot of more for me than he actually _had_ to.

Particularly because I was a _daughter._ I could never be his heir.

Thus it couldn't be denied that Sesshomaru was a _great_ father.

Him being a great father did not make my current situation any less weird though. Father, for whatever reason, decided to play dentist. He had sat down in front of a tree, leaned his back against it and pulled me onto his lap. The action was sudden and not at all expected.

I squealed, more in surprise than fright.

''Hold still, Shizuka.'' I did not believe that he actually needed to shout at people for them to follow his orders. It might have been the slight hero-worship I had developed speaking.

Holding still wasn't as easy as it sounded. My small feet fought for balance on his thighs as my hands held tightly onto his obi. I could consider myself lucky, father was well trained, thus his legs were more muscle than fat. Keeping my balance would have been way harder otherwise.

I felt his hand rather than saw it move. With a care he did not use often, his fingers peeled my upper lip away from my teeth.

My next exclamation of 'Otou-san' sounded more like the babble of an infant than the actual word.

A few fingers moved into my mouth and proceeded to prob my newly grown teeth. The actual teething process had started a few months ago, but only now did it finish.

The whole thing wasn't a pleasant experience, especially because the teeth grew at such random intervals. The fangs were the most unpleasant ones. I had four of them.

After a few more probes, he extracted his finger from my mouth. ''The time has come for us to change your diet.''

I was sure I looked completely taken aback. ''Diet?''

''Hn.'' His hand ruffled my hair lightly. ''We shall go hunting soon.''

I could only hope he did not mean humans or cute little bunnies.


	6. Eye Of The Tiger

**IMPORTANT!**

 **I've finished the two missing scenes. They are at the beginning and the end of the chapter.**

 **I have a question regarding how I should mark how much time Shizuka has now spent in this new world.**

 **1\. Continue the same way I have been doing it since chapter one. But it would also mean there would come a time where I would write for example ' _Day 3780'._**

 **2\. Year 1 Day 44 (Year one would mean that a year had passed and Day 44 would mean that it is the 44th day of the second year. Not sure if that makes sense.)  
**

 **3\. 1 Year 44 Days**

 **4\. Year 2 Day 44 (Would mean that it's her second year in this new world and the 44th day.)**

 **Write whichever you prefer in the reviews or send me a PM.**

* * *

 **Important!: This chapter isn't really complete. There are two scenes missing and I will add them later, so this is more like a small sneak peak. I just thought that I really had to update this story because I haven't done so in more than a month and quite honestly, knowing myself you would have probably had to wait about a month more for me to finish this chapter.**

 **I hope that me promising to publish those two missing scenes will keep me motivated enough to finish them in a week or two.**

 **Sorry for the long wait and all that is missing in this chapter.**

 **Please leave a review and if you want to, check out my new Self-Insert story for TVD.**

 **Oh, and Silimaira, thanks for pointing out those mistakes. I will correct them when I have some free time.**

 **Rating for this chapter: T**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 6  
_

 _Eye Of The Tiger_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _What She Had Known (Wasn't True)_

* * *

 _"...But living creatures are strange. They are made in such a way that they can actualize only what their minuscule minds wish for."_

 _― Aizen Sousuke, Bleach_

* * *

 _Day 261_

* * *

A change in diet meant the addition of meat into my meals. It also meant that I had to eat whatever father managed to find.

The first time father came back from a hunting trip he brought a dead crane with him. I had never had anything against eating meat, but that did not mean that I enjoyed the sight of the dead bird. Actually, I would have preferred not seeing it at all.

My aversion was only heightened when I saw father gutting the animal. He did not even need a knife or something, his claws were sharp enough to do the work.

There was blood. A lot of blood.

After a while father seemed to find whatever he was looking for inside the bird. It turned out to be the heart.

He ripped the organ into small pieces and put them into a wooden bowl. Then he gave _me_ the bowl.

Disgusted, I could only stare at the bloody pieces of meat before me. Did he truly want me to eat _this?_ Raw and bloody?

Quite honestly, I had never eaten raw meat before and I wasn't eager to do it now.

''Eat, Shizuka.'' Father murmured after a few minutes of me silently staring at the 'food' passed.

I thought about denying, but how could I? There was a reason for father giving me meat like this. My teeth alone indicated that I needed to eat meat. And there was no plausible reason for Shizuka, his young daughter, to not want to eat it. I couldn't very well say that eating raw meat was dangerous—For all I new our bodies could be immune to whatever bad was in it.—or that I just couldn't stomach eating it after seeing how he gutted the bird.

I was a child and not meant to have any moral problems like that. Neither should I know that most people cook or roast their meat. I had never seen anyone doing it and asking my father to start a fire for the meat would appear weird.

I had no other choice but to slowly reach out for a piece of meat and grab it with my pointer finger and thumb.

The texture wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. A little squishy and slippery from the blood. I brought it up to my face and _sniffed._

The metallic smell of blood filled my nose. As a human I had hated that smell, almost as much as I had hated the taste.

 _But now it did not bother me at all._

It smelled _good_ to me. And that thought alone caused my disgust to rise again.

 _Eww._

Knowing that I had made father wait long enough and wanting this to be over sooner rather than later, I forced the piece of meat inside my mouth and let my teeth take care of the rest. They cut through it like a knife through butter.

I swallowed the piece of crane heart.

I did not know what to actually think about the fact that I liked it, that it tasted better than all the fruits and milk I had eaten and drunk in this new life.

I never had anything against eating meat, but this 'new experience' just managed to show me once more that I wasn't human anymore.

Because no human would have eaten the rest of the heart with the vigor I had and then proceeded to happily lick their bloody hands clean.

I truly was a beast now.

* * *

 _Day 306_

* * *

While it was not easy to accept that I now belonged to a completely other race and it actually took me some time to truly warm up to the idea, I could easily admit that being a yokai was the better option in my situation.

I could not imagine being reborn in these times as a human. Whether as a part of the nobility or the common folk, both would have been horrible.

During our travels we had passed by many small villages that were plagued by some kind of illness. There were no real doctors in these times. Most people who got sick died because of the missing medical care.

Oftentimes, illnesses spread through the diseased area like a wildfire, leaving nothing but death and misery in its wake. One ill person could bring death upon its whole neighborhood.

No savior in the form of antibiotics existed in Feudal Japan. Neither did it exist anywhere else in the world yet.

Then there was also the problem of women being inferior to men. I did no doubt that even among our kind I would still be looked upon because of my gender, but I hoped that father's influence would at least minimize such actions.

If I had been born as the daughter of some farmer, he would have most likely sold me to the next best bidder. I would have been married of to a man who would be perhaps twice my age and used as a breeding machine.

That was all I would have been good for.

There were many other disadvantages to being human in this time period. Some of them would probably apply to demons as well, but others did not. Some days I wondered if those musings weren't just wishful thinking. I wondered if there would come a day where father would tire of my presence and agree to some arranged marriage, sentencing me to a miserable future in the process.

Each time such a thought crossed my mind, I would instantly come to regret it.

Father was a good man and I doubted he could ever do anything that would hurt his daughter. _That would hurt me._

Being a demon had many advantages that weren't as obvious as my heightened senses or physical abilities. Hygiene was one of them.

The worst thing about heightened senses was that we could not turn them off. For me, a former human, those senses had been a burden at the beginning of this new life. In comparison to smell and hearing, touch, sight and taste could be easily ignored.

Hearing everything what was happening inside a forest all of the time, without a break, could be very tiring. Every wing beat of an insect in my vicinity, the raging streams, loudly chirping birds.

Maddening, that's how it was.

Compared to smelling all and everyone around me, hearing the things mentioned before turned out to be an actually pleasant experience.

More often than not I had almost thrown up while we passed a 'highly' populated village. The smell was that horrible.

Death. Sweat. Human excrement.

The villagers did not bath enough. They did not have real soap and quite honestly there were way more important things for them to worry about than bathing.

 _We_ could not afford disregarding our hygiene. Our noses were way to sensitive for that.

Father took us to a stream at least twice a week. It was rather hard to adjust to such a schedule. Previously, I had been used to showering at least once a day. Here no more than four times a week had to suffice.

The only consolation was that our bodies did not work like those of the humans. We did not sweat and stink even half as much as they did. Father could walk with a fast pace for the whole day and not even a droplet of sweat would gather on his temple.

Still, I wouldn't have had anything against bathing each day. Only in summer, when the rivers and springs we used to clean ourselves were warm enough to not give us hypothermia, that is. When the coldest of months arrived two baths a week in a hot spring were completely enough.

I somehow doubted our bodies would be as resilient against the cold as they seemed to be against all the human illnesses.

But let me tell you, bathing in the hot springs was fantastic. Especially on a cold winter day such as this one.

The steam rising from the hot water was more apparent than in any other season. All around the little spring snow covered the barren ground like a blanket. Trees surrounded the our small destination, shielding it from unwanted eyes and protecting it from the harsh winter winds.

My arms tightened around fathers neck and I moved my head, a smile stretching on my lips and cheeks flushing from the cold.

Nowadays, I spend most of my time in my fathers attire, hidden under his outer and inner layers of clothing. While I still could feel the cold and its effect on me, father surprisingly stayed constantly warm as a furnace. His clothing kept the cold away from me, whereas his skin made sure that I was warm.

Quiet honestly, winter was boring, but I still preferred being practically smothered by father's attire than feeling the cold of the outside world. Particularly, when the temperatures hit below zero degrees Celsius and the winds threatened to blow me away.

Luckily, today wasn't one of those days. Oh, it was cold, but not as bad as some of the days I had witnessed during the last month.

Once we finally stopped moving, just a feet away from the hot spring, father slowly started to unwrap me from inside his clothing. First came his _mokumoku_ , afterwards the layers of his _hankimono_.

My tiny claws tightened around the skin of his shoulders, leaving small half moon shaped marks behind. Even though it wasn't the coldest day of this winter, I was still _freezing_ in my thick _kimono_.

Gently, I was put upon the cold yet snow free ground and immediately started to loosen the obi that kept my attire together. The first time father had taken me to bath with him had been a very awkward experience. However, I soon learned that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

I was a child and thus had the body of one. Father may have been and adult man, but I was his daughter. Frankly, there was nothing for me or him to be embarrassed about. Parents often bathed with their children and I preferred going into the water together with him to going alone and drowning. Because that's how it would probably end if I tried swimming or bathing in a stream or river by myself.

Death wasn't something I desired.

Soon, all my clothes were discarded and I started to make my way towards the warm water. The nearer I got, the more steam obscured my vision. In a short time, I stopped being able to see my feet properly. With my vision this said a lot about the steam's density.

Hating to have water in my nose and ears, I decided that it would be a better idea to submerge myself slowly rather than jumping straight in. And that's exactly what I did. I sat down on ground and put one foot after another into the water. Following that action, I slowly slid my body into the hot spring. My thighs and then my stomach. With my hands I held onto the edge and kept my head above the water.

The fluid instantly warmed my whole body.

Not too long after me, father entered the water as well. I couldn't see him doing so, but I did hear the sound water splashing.

The touch of his hand on my head alerted me to my impending doom. Shampoo did not exist in these times, however, those who had money did use the next best thing; scented oils. They were the reason why father smelled partly of lavender and even though they did not foam like their future equivalent, the oils still irritated the eyes immensely. In this case _my_ eyes were the unfortunate victims.

Father may have been delicate with washing my hair, but that did not stop the oil from entering my eyes. Had that not happened, then this whole experience might have actually been a pleasant one. Sadly, the warm water did not stop my eyes from stinging.

Showing my displeasure, I spluttered loudly in indignation. ''Not in the eyes, Otou-san. Not in the eyes, please.''

Regrettably, there was nothing father could do against my problem either. My hair had to be cleaned and he could not catch each droplet of oil that slid down my face. Though closing my eyes helped slightly, it did not stop the cursed liquid completely.

For a second I thought I had heard father laugh at my predicament. But that wasn't really his thing, was it? The ever stoic Sesshomaru-sama laughing at his little daughter's unfortunate situation. He couldn't be that cruel, could he?

Yet I did have to admit that I probably gave a comical image. I must have looked like a wet rat with a sour grimace on my face. Cheeks red and slightly puffed out. Hair plastered to my face.

Yeah, father probably did find this whole situation amusing.

''Let go of the edge, Shizuka. I will hold you while you rinse your head.'' Murmuring softly, father put one of his hands under my knees and the other on my back.

I knew what was coming next, so I let go of the only thing that had previously stopped me from drowning and relaxed as father position me in such a way in the water that I was laying horizontally on the surface. With both of my hands I rinsed the scented oil from my hair.

It really did have a pleasant smell.

Subsequently, I found myself at the edge of the spring again. Head leaned against my arms at edge, I waited till my father finally finished scrubbing my back with a soft cloth. Then he helped me out of the water and I sat down in a way that had most of my legs still in the warm liquid. I used the cloth to wash the rest of my body, while father took care of his own hair. It was way longer than my own—mine reached to my shoulder blades - and most certainly a real bother to maintain.

Considering the culture and my hair's rapid growth, I would probably end up with such a mane too.

Well, at least it was pretty.

I could only hope that they had something against fleas here, huh?

About half an hour later we finished our small endeavor and packed all the utensils we had used to get ourselves clean. Or rather, father took care of all that with me tightly packed in his _mokumoku_ and held with his left hand against his chest.

At least another week of staying hidden from the cold and boring myself to death lay before me.

I couldn't wait for winter to finally end.

* * *

 _Day 328_

* * *

 _Holy shit.  
_

Two words that echoed across my otherwise blank mind.

I blinked once, then twice. My eyes opening and closing, each time hoping to see something else. I even rubbed them with my tiny clawed hands.

It did not change the result.

Golden eyes opened and gazed into a pair of red orbs. Wild eyes which had an iris and sclera that blended together into a sea of blood. They were _larger_ than I was.

 _Holy shit._

A cold black nose touched my body, reaching almost from head to toe. The breath escaping the two nostrils felt warm on this cold winter day.

Slightly wet trails were left on the skin of my cheeks.

I blinked once again.

 _Oh my fucking god._

Snow white fur, as soft as the most expensive silk, tickled my exposed flesh, making me almost giggle in face of what looked like a giant monster.

However, there was nothing funny about my current situation. Especially because I was facing dozens of razor sharp fangs, almost all of them bigger than my tiny body.

With a clear certainty, I knew that they could rip me into shreds without a problem.

 _What the fuck?_

A droplet, more of a liter, of acid fell from the slightly parted mouth and burned the few rare plants on the ground.

My feet stayed unharmed.

How was this even possible? I had known since almost the beginning that the impossible would be possible in this world I had been reborn into, but _really?_

 _A giant dog?!_

Unhurriedly, I tilted my head, as if to inspect the beast standing before me. Filled with complete incredulity, my eyes trailed across my father's form over and over again.

He was _bigger than a bus_ , a beautiful creature that fit more into a fairy tale than into the reality that was my life.

And there was no doubt about the creature being _beautiful._

Fur as white as snow. Eyes the color of blood. Markings of unknown origins covering its, no, his majestic body. There was a certain elegance to every single move he made, be it by choice or just the wind rustling his silky fur.

Steeling my nerves, I opened my rosy lips and let my tongue sweep away their dryness. ''Otou-san?''

My voice was surprisingly strong, not wavering even for the slightest second and hiding my inner turmoil.

Father had turned into a giant _dog._

 _Fuck._

''Otou-san?'' The question was louder this time, echoing through the clearing father's transformation had created. He had literarily torn some trees out of the ground, others were 'merely' broken in half.

 _He was taller than all those trees._

And for a moment, as I watched his enormous head move in my direction and noticed the way his white teeth flashed in the sun, I thought I would die at the beast's hand. It wasn't an instinctual reaction—my instincts were telling me that I was safer than ever—but the part of me that had been a human once and just couldn't help fearing something so impossible.

Then I remembered that it was my father who stood before me and instantly calm filled my body and mind.

His snout nudged me lightly, forcing an unbidden giggle from my lips. I could not stop my hands from reaching out and patting his soft fur.

His following growl vibrated through my whole body. To my elfin ears it sounded like a soothing reassurance instead of the threat most probably heard.

The white fur felt soft and familiar against my skin, just like the _mokumoku_ that was normally wrapped around me. I could feel how tense father's body was. It probably took a lot of effort not to crush me in this form.

I was like a mouse standing before a giant elephant. There was no other comparison that would fit the situation.

Suddenly, I felt great respect for all the ants and other tiny beings in the world. If that was how they constantly felt, then I could easily say that it wasn't pleasant. Especially because I was safe and they had to constantly fear for their lives.

Gently, father's snout nudged me to the side and before I knew what was happening a pair of teeth had already grabbed the back of my clothing.

And then I was flying.

Not literally, of course. More like a giant dog had taken a bite of my clothes and was now holding them with his teeth, suspending me in the air at the same time.

A startled shriek left my mouth and for a moment I wondered how much my kimono must have cost. The shopkeeper had said that it was made out of a durable material, but I hadn't thought that it would survive something like this.

It was a miracle that the cloth hadn't been teared by my father's fangs or my own weight into two pieces. One of which would have stayed in father's mouth and the other would have fallen with _me_ onto the ground.

I had to applaud the shopkeeper for making such durable clothing.

Once in the air, there wasn't really anything I could do. I would not tempt the fates by wriggling around in the tight grip of a demon's jaws. I had already died one time, I did not need a repeat.

And it was a good thing that I did not struggle because it would not have served me well and probably only prolonged my suffering.

Slowly, father angled his head in such a way that I was hanging above his back. Then he gently lowered me onto what looked like a snow white cloud.

His fur, quite literarily, was longer than I was tall. Even though my feet had still not touched the giant dog's back, it already covered me from head to toe.

I was blinded by white fur.

 _Really?!_

Fortunately, my hands grabbed onto a few strands of father's fur before he took off into the air. We had done so before, but it was different this time around. There was no body of water below us. We weren't just a few meters in the air.

No, as I finally managed to free myself of my frozen stupor and the fur that blinded my eyes was pushed aside in a way that allowed me to actually _see_ something that wasn't just white, I noticed the blue of the sky besides me, accompanied by countless of clouds. Bellow us the forest got smaller with each second and soon the trees blended into a large green spot.

The wind was whipping my hair in all directions and I could not, even if I had been willing to try, stop the loud exhilarated shriek of childish joy from escaping my lips.

 _We were flying._

Gliding above many clouds alongside fleeing birds. And fleeing wasn't even the appropriate word to describe what the flock was doing once it sighted the giant dog in the air.

I laughed in amusement.

High above the earth, surrounded by a sense of security I only felt in my father's presence, I had never felt so _free_ before.

* * *

 _Day 352_

* * *

After that first time father started to change into his, uhm, other form more often. I did not know what had changed, but somehow it did not bother me as much as I had thought it would.

It was in way _natural._ Even though seeing him like this should have scared me, I couldn't help feeling safe in his presence. Besides, it was just _right._ I did not know why, but it was right in the same way as seeing a fish swimming in the water. Could you imagine a fish doing something else? Perhaps jumping around in the desert.

However, I did wonder why he started doing it so suddenly. Why he did not change earlier when he seemed to be so comfortable in that form.

There were some things I came up with, but I could never be sure if I was right and I did not really want to ask. Maybe I had been just to young and frail for him not to crush me in that form. Or maybe he just did not want to scare me. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

At the end the answer did not matter. Way more important questions danced across my mind, questions I was not sure I wanted to have answered.

 _Would I change into such a beast as well?_

How did it feel being a giant dog? What did being a demon _truly_ mean? When would this world finally stop throwing such things at me?

I did not know and probably preferred not knowing.

At least my new life wasn't boring, huh?

Smiling slightly bitterly, my gaze moved towards my father. He was in his giant form once again. His huge head resting on his paws and eyes closed.

I knew better than to assume that he was sleeping.

My suspicions of him being awake were confirmed when I tugged slightly on his tail and it moved abruptly in response. The important thing was that I was still holding onto it.

It might have sounded weird, but I loved doing this. Holding onto his tail and being dandled by it was a little like riding a rollercoaster. I felt the same exhilaration I had felt that one time I had gone to an amusement park with Alicia.

Being swung around like that and then put on the ground only to start chasing the 'escaping appendage' was something I never expected I would end up doing. I felt like a child and not for the first time in this new life I had to face the fact that I was indeed a _child._

I had been young when I died, too young. And now in this new body and because of its new instincts it was often hard to behave in a way that would have been expected of me had I not died.

There was nothing else left for me to do but follow the flow of this new life. Wallowing in self-pity and trying to find a way to stop all these changes would destroy me, thus I did not even try.

I was shocked out of my rather unpleasant thoughts when I ran into father's tail. Surprisingly, he stopped moving his tail away from me and moved his head in a way that allowed him to grab the back of my kimono with his teeth. I was put between his front paws after squealing loudly and giggling at my position. I had long since learned to enjoy it rather than fear being eaten.

 _A loud growl echoed through the woods._

My giggling ceased, body freezing in place. The wind blew a foreign scent in my direction and suddenly I knew that _we weren't alone anymore._

Slowly, my hands moved towards father's right paw and I used all the strength my arms possessed to push myself onto it.

I completed my task just in time to see a young man come out from behind a tree. He had a mane of shockingly _dark green_ hair and orange and yellow markings on his cheeks. They reminded me a little of war paint. His clothes did not look like those of a commoner, but neither did they seem to belong to a noble.

After his hair, his eyes were the most outstanding of his features. One a light red, almost rosy in its color and the other completely black. You could not differ the pupil and the iris.

He was a yokai, of that I was sure. Sadly, I could not tell what kind of yokai he was.

The stranger bowed deeply, his shoulder-length bangs obscuring his face from my sight. ''Sesshomaru-sama.''

Instead of changing back into his more human form, father continued to stare at the stranger, his golden eyes never leaving his form.

It was only when the man before us started to twitch slightly that father did something akin to grunting.

Instantly, the stranger straightened up and for a second his eyes nervously flickered to me and then back to father. He looked surprised and more than a little curious.

Again? Really? Why was it that surprising for father to have a child. Especially because they had no protection in these times.

Man, these people were really stupid.

The demon's hands trembled slightly as he took a small scroll out from somewhere inside his clothes. ''Inukimi-sama has sent me to deliver a message, Sesshomaru-sama.'' Not receiving an answer, the stranger slowly lowered the scroll onto the ground and put it there. ''She wished for you to know that she would be very pleased if you came to pay her a visit soon.''

A few seconds passed till father deigned to dismiss the demon with his somewhat grunt.

After sending another glance in my direction, the stranger disappeared with a speed my eyes could not follow.

Exhaling loudly, father lowered his head between his paws. Did he sound slightly _annoyed?_

Well, that was rather unusual. The whole encounter was unusual. A noble or at least someone of higher standing had sent a servant to summon my father's presence. And not only did the servant's presence infuriate father enough for him to feel the need to keep me near him, his message also made him annoyed.

Watching Jaken nervously scramble towards the scroll, only one question managed to get my full attention; _Who the hell was Inukimi?_


	7. Miles Above You

**It's been a pretty long time since my last update, huh? Sorry about that.**

 **Before we come to the actual chapter, I wanted to mention that I have published a new Self-Insert story. If you want to read it, then just check it out on my profile.**

 **Another important thing is that I've decided to answer some of your questions in this chapter and will continue doing so in the future. I will always wait for a few questions to gather and then I'll answer them. So, if there is anything you want to know about 'Till The World Stops Turning' just send me a PM or write a review.**

 **Oh, I have also posted an updating schedule on my profile, so if you want to know when the next chapter will be updated then just check it. Though I can't promise that I will always manage to update it on the promised date.**

 **1\. Frequently asked questions:  
**

 **When does this story take place? Sesshomaru's father is already dead and Inuyasha incapacitated. It takes place a few years before Kagome arrives in the past. Don't worry we will arrive at the canon events soon (Around 4 to 5 chapters till we reach that point, I think.).**

 **What about Hakuryuu? He is still alive and if you would like to he could appear in one of the future chapters. I haven't planned anything for him yet, but if you have some ideas, then write me a PM or a review and I might even end up using them.**

 **What about her mother?** **Considering that this story takes place before canon and that Shizuka is a full-blooded demon, neither Rin nor Kagura are her mother. She will be mentioned in one of the future chapters, but don't expect her to be large part of this story.  
**

 **2. starthedetective: Shizuka hasn't watched Inuyasha, but she has heard about it. There will come a time when she will realize that she is in an anime, but that won't help her all that much because she has no knowledge about it.**

 **Many thanks to _Silimaira,_ who was this chapter's beta.  
**

 **nariai (Yeah, I've changed my user name)**

 **Rating for this chapter: K  
**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.]**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 7  
_

 _Miles Above You_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Met A Queen_

* * *

 _Day 356_

* * *

Four days, that's how long we traveled after Father received what seemed to be an invitation from the mysterious Inukimi. Most of that time I spent alongside Jaken on father's giant back. He flew above the familiar forest and only stopped a few times for a break. During those breaks I took care of my _business_ —yes, I was potty trained—and ate something.

Then we were off again, flying towards a to me unknown destination.

There wasn't really much to do so high above the earth, so I spent most of the time on Father's back sleeping.

It was boring as hell, but, considering how much the world sometimes seemed to hate me, it could have been worse. Besides, seeing our destination made the long journey worth it.

 _A flying castle._

Not a western castle, of course. It was more of a huge Japanese compound built on a giant flying piece of earth. A small part of the structure was hidden by a cloud, but that did not stop me from seeing what was directly in front of me. The whole thing was magnificent, as if someone had taken it out of a fairy tale.

An estate comprised of several buildings, surrounded by what I guessed to be a wonderful garden. There were cherry blossom trees everywhere. Lush green grass and colorful flowers surrounded a small pond. People were running across the grounds, some pointing at us with their hands.

As we descended I could feel Father's powers condensing. My skin prickled and eyes widened when I realized what would happen next. In a cloud of demonic energy father changed into his human form, catching me in his arms before I could fall to my death. Luckily, Jaken managed to take hold of Father's _mokumoku,_ so he wasn't harmed either.

Father's feet softly touched the ground, while Jaken landed with a loud thud. He screeched noisily and flailed his tiny arms.

Used to his behavior, both Father and I ignored him and continued our way to our final destination.

Final destination, huh? Well, that wasn't really comforting.

Turning my head to the right, I saw a group of people running in our direction. Their unusual coloring and markings showed their demonic heritage. One of them, a middle-aged man with brown hair and golden eyes, stopped a few feet away from us and bowed lowly. ''Sesshomaru-sama, Inukimi-sama has been awaiting your arrival. She is ready to welcome you in the main room.''

The soft _mokumoku_ moved over Father's shoulder and I leaned my head against it. I was jostled slightly when father finally started to move towards the entrance of the big mansion before us. Its shoji screens were slid open before we arrived and one servant kneeled at each side of it, their heads lowered in submission. Not regarding any of them with more than a passing glance, father jumped onto the patio and entered the large mansion.

From the inside it looked exactly how I imagined a home of Japanese royalty would look. Beautifully decorated, yet not nearly as pompous as some Western castles. Scrolls adorned the walls and many shoji screens depicted outstanding battles or scenes from what I guessed to be demon history.

The servant led us through a rather narrow hallway, his footsteps silent on the wooden floor. As we continued walking the mansion seemed to turn into a maze in front of my very eyes. Not literally, of course, but still confusing and slightly intimidating. A sad fact was that should I ever be left alone in this place, then I probably wouldn't even be able to find the exit, let alone anything of importance like a kitchen or a bathroom.

Our small group stopped in front of an ornate shoji screen after what felt like an eternity of walking—It was probably less than ten minutes—and the servant lowered himself onto his knees. ''Inukimi-sama, your guests have finally arrived and are here to meet you.''

Father slowly lowered me to the ground and steadied me before I could have fallen. Not being in his arms made me feel slightly insecure, especially because I was about to meet some stranger who had enough power to summon my father into her home with nothing but a letter. The stern look he sent my way did not make me feel any better.

Feeling slightly apprehensive, I tried getting the wrinkles out of my kimono. It was one of my favorites, but that also meant that it looked rather well-worn.

''They may come in,'' a soft feminine voice whispered and I was actually surprised at how young it sounded. I wasn't quite sure what I expected of this Inukimi person, but it certainly wasn't a woman that seemed to be in her late twenties or early thirties. It certainly wasn't someone like the woman I saw once the servant slid the door open.

 _She was even more beautiful than Father._

Elfin features were framed by a few soft white tresses. The rest of the woman's hair was bound in a complex looking bun, held in place by two mahogany hair chopsticks. At their ends were wonderfully crafted butterflies that were decorated with what looked like rubies. Her golden eyes shone in the dim room and regarded us with amusement.

Behind me Jaken yelped in fright, but I ignored him in favor of observing the woman.

She raised an arm to her lips and took a sip of something I could not see. The sleeve of her kimono covered her hand and whatever she was holding, but it did not conceal the magenta markings under he eyes, nor the violet crescent moon on her forehead.

Compared to her kimono Father's attire was rather modest. Many layers of expensive silk covered her body, the upper one a mix of magenta and a crimson red. It contrasted heavily with her snow white hair and made her look even more regal than she already was.

''Come in. There is no need for you to be shy.'' The arm moved away from her face and allowed me to see the small amused smirk adorning her rosy lips. It did not take me long to figure out that her last statement was addressed to me.

A clawed hand grazed my head and somehow managed to lead me forward. I moved alongside my father and could not take my eyes off the woman even for a second. We ceased moving a few feet away from the low table behind which _Inukimi_ sat in a perfect _seiza_.

And then something happened I never expected to see.

 _Father bowed._ _Not in submission but reverence._

Jaken followed suit and I was left standing there like a complete idiot. Especially when my eyes widened as wide as dinner plates when I heard my father's whisper. _''Haha-ue.''_

Slowly, he straightened himself out of his bow, while Jaken kept his low position. The small kappa gazed at the floor and whispered with the utmost respect, ''Gobodō-sama.''

 _Haha-ue? Gobodō-sama?_ Was this woman truly my father's _mother?_ My own _grandmother?_

She looked barely old enough to have a child of my physical age, let alone to be a grandmother.

''Shizuka.'' My wide eyes instantly snapped to Father's face. He was gazing at me with an intense look in his eyes. ''This is my mother Inukimi. You shall address her with Obaa-sama.'' His eyes left my face and turned to _my grandmother._ ''Haha-ue, this is Shizuka, your granddaughter.''

I took a step forward and bowed somewhat clumsily, feeling the need to follow Father's example and to show the woman sitting before me respect. ''Obaa-sama.''

Golden slitted eyes regarded me with an unreadable expression. ''I must admit that you are quite the surprising sight, little pup. When the servant informed me of your presence, I had been rather uncertain whether to believe him or not.'' She stretched her clawed hand towards me. ''Come, Shizuka.''

Narrowing my eyes in slight suspicion, I grasped father's hakama. The woman might have been my grandmother, but that did not immediately make her a friendly person. Even though my instincts did not warn me to stay away from her—it was the opposite, actually—I had already learned the hard way that it would not pay off for me to act rashly.

A reassuring hand on top of my head prompted me to move forward and I turned my head upwards, looking for approval on Father's face.

Seeing it there, I took one step and then another. A third one followed soon afterwards. All the while Inukimi watched me with amusement lightening her elfin face. Her lips tilted upwards in an almost smirk and I suddenly knew where Father got his reserved nature from.

The low table was situated higher than the rest of the room. If I had to compare it to something than it probably would be a really low stage. It most likely served to intimidate the people who came to visit and were forced to sit in the lower parts of the room. Fortunately, the platform wasn't too high, so I could climb it without anyone's help.

Some effort was required, of course, but after what felt like a minutes I managed to wiggle my way up the low platform. Out of the corner of my right eye I saw Father regarding me with a bemused expression. It wasn't all that different from his I-am-disappointed-in-you look or the scathing regard he liked sending to those he thought were so beneath him that they weren't worth more than a passing glance.

Instead of curling into a sneer, the corners of his lips twitched minimally upward, not even half an inch.

Having to stop myself from sticking out my tongue, I pouted and turned my head away from him. I doubted such an action would have been becoming of someone of my standing.

Slowly rising to my feet—I had kind of rolled onto the stage. Not my best entrance, really.—I let my gaze wander to the woman before me. She was still regarding me with twinkling eyes and a smirk adorning her rosy lips. Her hand rose from her lap and she stretched it out in my direction.

Taking the hint, I leisurely started walking in her direction. My tiny legs had gotten steadier with each day, however, it would not have done me any good if I decided to do something as stupid as running. With my luck, I would have probably stumbled over my own feet and somehow managed to spill tea all over my _grandmother._

I stopped moving near her hand, still in her reach, but far enough that I could move away should I feel the need. Not taking any offense in my obviously hesitant behavior, Inukimi gently removed a few wispy white strands from my face and proceeded to stroke a hand over my cheek. The action was soft and caring and forced me to calm down. Tense muscles relaxed and my mouth tilted in a small smile.

Her hand wandered to the back of my head and pulled me into her upper body. Silky clothes caressed my skin and a scent, familiar even though I had never smelled it before, filled my nostrils.

 _Cherry blossom, citrus, and the underlying smell of a fresh hunt._

Unbidden, tiny clawed hands reached out and grabbed onto the expensive garment. Then I nuzzled her throat and the few loose strands of her hair. A content sight escaped my lips when my _grandmother_ purred comfortingly.

''When did you intend to tell me about the birth of this tiny delightful creature?'' Her hands were now stroking my head and back in a lulling manner.

Creature? I did not know whether I should feel insulted or amused at that.

Moving forward, Father answered. ''We had been on our way to visit you even before your invitation arrived, haha-ue.''

Did he...just _lie?_ The thought amused me more than it should have.

Gracefully, Father moved onto the platform and sat down in a perfect _seiza_ opposite his mother. His eye darted towards me as if to make sure that I wasn't doing anything stupid.

''I see.'' It was clear that she did not believe him. ''Mayuri, bring us some more tea.''

A quiet shuffle could be heard outside of the room and it was followed by soft footsteps that moved at a moderate pace down the long hallway. Inukimi had not even needed to raise her voice, the demonic senses of all the mansion's inhabitants made quiet communication possible.

''Are there any other surprises I should be aware of?'' she asked lightly, although her voice seemed to have a serious undertone. Father's tense shoulders indicated how unappreciated that question was and the slight furrow of his brows showed how her inquiry actually bothered him.

''No.'' A pause. His eyes flickered to me. ''There are no other _surprises.''_

Inukimi took a sip of her tea and swallowed it slowly. '' _I see.''_

I was missing something. Their conversation was too serious for her to have meant something banal like some new furnishing or damaged clothes.

''I hope you will enjoy the tea Mayuri is brewing. It is a new blend that the herbalist recommended to me.'' That was one smooth change of topic.

Or not.

Father's gaze never left my small form, even as he continued to converse with his mother. ''Tadashi does have a good taste in teas.''

''That he does.'' She stroked the skin behind my ear and another content sigh passed my lips.

Smiling sweetly, I turned my body so that I was completely facing my father. Fortunately, Inukimi continued to gently pet—I truly was a dog now, wasn't I?—my head. Even when the servant came back, carrying a tray with a steaming tea kettle and three small cups.

Mayuri was a tiny girl with impossibly wide eyes and wispy blonde hair. She carried the tray to us with as much grace as she could muster and set one cup in front of each of us. Then she proceeded to pour some tea into them. First Inukimi, then Father, and lastly me.

''It has a pleasant smell, haha-ue.'' And it truly did. Green tea with jasmine and either orange or lemon. My cup, unlike those of my family members, was only half-full. Probably to make sure that I did not burn myself.

Before Mayuri once again left the room, she performed a perfect seventy degree bow, showing respect to all three of us. Her light footsteps made almost no sound as she walked across the room.

Taking my cup slowly into my right hand, I raised it to my lips and took a sip. I most likely should have waited till I was allowed to drink or at least until my elders took their first sips, but I was just a child and I did not know much about this time's etiquette anyway.

The tea warmed my entire body and left a pleasant taste on my tongue. It was sweet with a slightly sour aftertaste.

''I'm glad that it's to your taste as well, little pup.'' Inukimi said and I hummed lightly. At the other side of the low table Father tasted the tea too. He nodded his head in appreciation after swallowing his first try.

''I have told one of my handmaidens to prepare a bath for Shizuka.'' Tilting her head to the side, Inukimi smiled amiably. ''I hope you do not mind leaving Shizuka in her care.''

Father's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they left my form to look at his mother. He did not seem all that happy with her decision. Normally, he would have denied her, but this time something stopped him from doing so. It did not take me long to figure out that they wanted me gone for whatever they would discuss next.

A part of me, the dangerously and overly curious one, wanted to refuse leaving. Making them believe that I was afraid to leave Father's side would not have been easy, but still doable. However, there was also a part of me that did not truly want to _know._ Not when I saw the serious expression on Father's face. Whatever they would be talking about would not be good. Seeing the unreadable expression on Father's face, I thought, that maybe just this once I should be happy about the protection my young age offered me.

There was a certain freedom that came with not having to _worry_ about anything. As a child there wasn't much I had to worry about. Father took care of the most pressing matters. He made sure that I had everything I needed to survive and even more. I was protected from dangers, whether it was humans or other demons.

If I choose to, I could just lean back and do _nothing._

Of course it's not as easy as just 'choosing not to worry'. There would always be that older part of me that worried about every minuscule thing, but some situations, such as this one, could be easily ignored.

Quite honestly, I doubted that I actually wanted to know what managed to get my _father_ worried. Thus I silently gazed at my grandmother's handmaiden when she finally came to get me and shyly grabbed the sleeves of my garment.

The warning look Father sent the girl's way before we left the room calmed me substantially, although it would not help me with how uneasy I would soon come to feel without his large shadow there to protect me.


	8. Counting Sheep

**There has been a question bugging me for some time now. Do you think that Sesshomaru is _too_ OOC?**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Self-Promotion: I have published a new Tokyo Ghoul Self-Insert where the main character is reborn a Suzuya's twin.  
**

 **Beta: _Silimaira_**

 **Rating for this chapter: T  
**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.]**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 8_

 _Counting Sheep_

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 _How Much The Truth Can Hurt_

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 _"When you are guilty, it is not your sins you hate but yourself."_  
 _― Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom_

 _"If I had known they were going to do this, I would have become a shoemaker."_  
 _― Albert Einstein_

* * *

Although words could not leave bruises, they did create scars. Sometimes they could be more hurtful than a physical assault and cause many unappreciated problems.

Being a teenager trapped in a child's body gave me the ability of observing the people surrounding me without them actually noticing that they were being _judged._ As far as they knew, I was just a toddler that could barely speak, let alone understand anything they were saying.

I could watch them with my large, innocent eyes and they just stayed blind to the intelligence that was hidden behind my thick lashes. All they saw was a little spoiled brat they were forced to respect and take care of.

Respect probably wasn't the right word. While Mayuri followed her mistress's orders, the other two maids who had been assigned to help did not seem to know the meaning of keeping their mouths shut.

They regarded me with their serpentine blue eyes and tattled about both my appearance and behavior.

Feeling slightly self-conscious after hearing their opinion about my 'tattered rags', I continued listening to their talk. It seemed as if one of them had found another one of my 'faults'. ''And the way she addresses our Lord, such _disrespect._ 'Otou-san', as if Sesshomaru-sama was some lowborn urchin. No manners at all, but what else can be expected of a little bastard.''

Ignoring mundane insults like 'bastard' was easy enough. I had already suspected that my father wasn't married to the woman who had given birth to me and I also knew what it meant in this society. That did not stop me from feeling a little insulted and irritated, but it wasn't this name calling that caused the painful clenching of my heart.

Things like gossip could be easily overlooked, especially because I doubted that we would be spending much time in this compound. And I did have to admit that I was somewhat glad to be informed about the fact that I had been behaving rudely. At least, now I could change.

Although I did feel ashamed of myself and more than a little spite towards the two servants who were stupid enough to insult me while Father was still in our vicinity, I would not have said anything if it weren't for one of them crossing a certain line.

Since I had been born in this new world, there had always been this nagging feeling in the deepest part of my mind that told me I did not _belong_ here.

I wasn't a noble. I wasn't a demon. And I certainly wasn't Sesshomaru's true daughter.

My attention was always easily diverted from this topic and after a while it got easier to ignore it all.

That is, until I was forced to face the reality that I had not only stolen one child from my father, but a whole litter of them.

''There should be _more,''_ one of the servants whispered. She was small and had short reddish hair. ''Why did Sesshomaru-sama take just her with him?''

Another one, almost identical in looks, answered. ''Perhaps there was not another one to take.''

At first, I did not know what they were talking about. It wasn't as if I were truly interested in the gossip of some servant girls, but it did not take me long to figure out that they were actually talking about me and that did manage to catch my attention.

''You cannot mean that she...'' The first what-I-guessed-to-be twin whispered. Her eyes widened minutely and lips parted until I could see her violet tongue.

The second girl nodded her head, her eyes serious and looking at me with a strange intensity. ''It is a rare and deadly ability. If she inherited it, then it is no wonder that none of the other pups survived.''

My arms immediately stopped moving through the water of the hot spring, Mayuri's hand momentarily clenching in my hair. The mousy blonde had been gently massaging my head, but the redhead's statement seemed to shock her into a frozen stupor.

''Poor Sesshomaru-sama, not only was the mother probably some lowborn heathen, but...'' She had lowered her voice—however, that did not stop me from hearing each of her words. A part of me, the one that wasn't completely focused on her previous insinuation, was happy that Mayuri stopped her from saying anything else.

 _''Silence.''_ Mayuri had a surprisingly forceful voice for someone so small and fragile-looking. Her head snapped to the right to look at them.''Are you completely out of your mind? I have not said anything about you disrespecting Shizuka-hime earlier because this will not be the first time she will hear something like that, but mentioning this precarious matter in front of Sesshomaru-sama's pup is unacceptable. You have not seen the way he behaves around her, but let me assure you that you shall be heavily punished when he hears about this.''

The sister with the longer hair sneered. ''What? Are you going to tell him?''

''Of course not. I will not need to. One word from his daughter will be enough.'' She turned her nose up in a haughty manner. ''And please, do not forget who you are talking to. I have been in our Lady's services for a long time and in this compound I have a higher standing than you ever will. Especially if you continue to insult the royal family.''

Gracefully, Mayuri raised her body and gazed down at me. ''I believe we should leave now, Shizuka-hime. Inukimi-sama and Sesshomaru-sama have certainly finished their conversation by now.''

I could only nod numbly as she helped me get out of the hot springs, my mind occupied by way more important topics.

How could I have never thought about this? We resembled animals in many ways, so it was only logical that demonesses gave birth to at least two children or even whole litters. Knowing that, there were only two reasons for why I seemed to be an only child. Either my parents had something of a 'divided custody', where one of them took care of me and the other of a possible sibling, or none of the other pups had survived.

The girl, Kaori, had already answered that for me. It seemed as if I was the only survivor and the rare ability that had killed my siblings just so happened to be the acid I had inherited from my father. I could only guess that it was some recessive gene that had not been inherited by the rest of my _litter._

The realization that I had probably killed some innocent pups that could have been my brothers and sisters _hurt._ It was horrible to even think about the fact that I had robbed my father and some nameless woman of their children.

Now that I thought about it, had I killed my new mother as well?

Logically, I knew that I couldn't blame myself for something that was so out of my control, but I still couldn't help wondering how many more children would currently be getting dressed in silky kimonos if I had not been conceived.

''Are you feeling unwell, Shizuka-hime?'' Mayuri asked, putting the already second layer of clothing on my body. Her eyes regarded me with worry while her elfin ears twitched in apprehension. ''Should I send for some water?''

''No.'' My voice was soft and childish. ''Just accompany me to my quarters.''

The female demon jerked back in surprise. This was the first full sentence I had spoken in her presence and she most likely had not expected such a proficiency from me. Her silvery eyes widened in comprehension and she nodded her head curtly. ''Of course, Shizuka-hime.''

Quickly, the girl finished dressing me, my new clothes more constricting than anything I had worn ever before. Then she gently led me out of the room and into the hallway. I did not miss the look she sent the other two servants before sliding the shoji door shut.

Without Father at my side, the long hallway seemed even more daunting. Silently, I followed Mayuri towards my new room. As I had already guessed, beautiful quarters had been prepared for me. A rosy futon with a flowery design lay in the middle of the room, two candle holders at both of its sides. Candles glowed softly through the thin rice paper walls of their holders, casting shadows in the dim room.

In the corner of the room stood a low table. A small ornate box was located on top of it.

Stopping my observation, I turned towards Mayuri. ''Please bring me some water.''

Normally, I preferred and actually made sure to behave like a child. It wouldn't do me any good if someone started suspecting that there was something weird going on with me. Father finding out the truth about my existence was one of my biggest fears. I did not think that he would just accept the fact that his daughter was not even truly his daughter.

''Would you like something to eat as well, Shizuka-hime?'' My grandmother's handmaiden asked after closing the shoji screen behind us. Seeing my nod, the girl bowed lowly and left the room.

Rubbing my eyes with a hand, I lowered myself onto the soft futon.

Intentionally or not, there was a high chance that I might have killed my own siblings.

* * *

I was a big girl and that meant that I could sleep alone in my room, in the _darkness,_ without any company to reassure me that I was safe and keep me warm when a chilly breeze entered my quarters through the parted shoji screens.

I did not need anyone to tuck me in, neither did I feel frightened by the sounds of the constantly bustling servants. Although none of them ventured near the royal family's corridor, I could still hear them in the farther corners of the compound.

That was the curse of my heightened senses.

I liked to pretend that they did not bother me. Why should I feel frightened by such a huge amount of strangers surrounding me? What could they do to me with Father only a handful of rooms away from me?

My mind supplied me with rather terrifying answers that I would have found rather funny if my instincts had not been screaming at me so loudly. I knew that none of the servants would dare to raise a finger against me after having seen the way some of them looked at my two family members. Even the dumbest imbecile should be capable of seeing the protectiveness Father felt towards me.

Someone would either have to be an ignorant fool or an impossibly strong powerhouse to actually dare to defy the two highest-ranked demons on this flying piece of land. I doubted that there was anyone who could fight both my father and grandmother in the vicinity. After spending at least some time with both of them, I believed myself to have a fairly good estimation of the amount of power both of them hid under their human skin.

Perhaps I was wrong, but that did not change the fact that to keep their high rank both of them had to possess some significant power. Otherwise someone else would have already taken their place. As such, I thought that there wasn't much Father could not protect me from. A stray demon trying to break into my quarters shouldn't be a problem.

Those thoughts did not manage to calm my irrational anxiety.

Maybe it had to do with my instincts that could not let me rest while I was surrounded by so many foreign demons without my father right next to me. Or it could also be the anguish I felt ever since hearing the servants' cruel words.

I had always felt slightly lost in this world and I knew that I would never truly be a part of it. Certain conventions and beliefs would never be understandable to me, making me into an outsider in this world.

All this made me feel _lonely_ and oftentimes a longing for my old life would swell up inside my heart. I missed my family—the human one—and the future I might never see again. During days like this I also loathed my new existence as a demon and the abilities that came with it.

In life there were some things better left unheard.

Rolling out of my futon, I looked towards the parted shoji screen. There was a beautiful garden outside of the room, a garden my _mom_ had always dreamed of. She would have loved this compound and the colorful flowers in the garden. Even without her ever saying it out loud, I always knew that my mom had dreamed of one day moving back to Japan.

I lived her dream and that made me feel a little closer to her.

But I still suffered from a severe case of homesickness. Besides my father, I had no one in this world and I did not even know if he would stay by my side if he found out the truth.

There were so many things I missed; the list spanned from my family and friends to modern conveniences such as a toilette or chocolate. Most of all I just wished to see my family once again. To spend some time with my siblings or even hear them shouting at me for eating their last cup of yogurt.

Never before had I felt so _alone._

Sliding the door open, I stepped onto the porch. The cool wind caressed my bare feet and goosebumps appeared on my skin, stretching from my tiny clawed toes to my pale arms. Not far away from me, a small pond reflected the silvery moon. It hung high above us, but it seemed larger than normally.

Some fireflies flew across the pond and it almost seemed as if they were dancing. Crickets chirped and sounded impossibly loud in my ears. Only small insects dared to reside in these gardens. Larger animals like birds felt too threatened by the presence of so many demons.

Suddenly, I felt tears welling up inside my eyes and I cursed this young body for its lack of control. If I started crying now, Father would certainly notice and I did not want to worry him.

His room was only a few meters away from mine and I could hear his deep breaths perfectly. They were regular and even, as if he were asleep. It wasn't too surprising because most people fell asleep early in these time. Staying awake after sundown had no purpose as most did not have enough money to acquire candles or something similar, so they would have to sit in the dark. Father might not have had the problem of not being able to see in the dark, but it would have still been pointless for him to wander around at night while there was nothing to do in this compound.

For once he did not have to take care of me and that meant that he finally had some free time. After months in the forest, I did not blame him for enjoying it in the comfortable futon.

That did not stop me from walking across the porch towards his room, ceasing my movement directly in front of the shoji screen that led into his room. Hesitating, I bit my lip nervously, my sharp canine teeth almost breaking the soft skin. Putting my hand against the thin rice paper, I faltered once again.

What the servant girl had said shouldn't have affected me as much as it did. I could not blame myself over something I had no control over and which could even end up not being true. The truth was that even after a year in this world, I did not know enough about my new kind to judge what she had said properly.

Sighing, I leaned my head against the wall, pushing myself away from it before a few seconds could pass. Just as I wanted to turn around I paused because I really did not want to be alone right now. My hand trembled slightly as I raised it to knock, stopping just before it could touch the wood.

Before I could start considering my options and whether I should leave or not, a deep voice broke the silence of the night. ''Come in.''

I should have known that he wasn't truly sleeping. Father had always been capable of discerning the state of my being, somehow knowing immediately if I was feeling well or not. He must have noticed my inner turmoil and had been waiting for my upcoming visit, giving me enough time to sort out a few things.

Entering the room, I instantly noticed his golden eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the darkness of the night. His hair looked ethereal as it shone softly in the silvery light of the moon. The top of his nightwear, a dark navy kimono, was partly open, showing parts of his chest and the purple markings decorating his skin.

Regarding me lazily, Father motioned for me to move forward. Silently, my feet moved across the wooden floor and stopped at the edge of my father's futon.

Unsure of what I should do next, I rubbed one of my feet against its opposite's calf. Rarely had I felt such a shyness and shame in Father's presence. Accompanying them was an unnerving apprehension.

A hand moved from under the covers and gently wrapped around my wrist. My body was pulled against Father's warm chest and I almost sighed in content.

"What seems to be the problem?" His deep voice rumbled while a hand petted the top of my head. Fingers weaved gently through my messy hair, scrapping the skin of my head comfortingly. As tiny as I was, I fit perfectly onto his chest. My head laid just above his heart while my feet barely reached his thighs.

I had hoped that his presence would soothe my anxiety, but it only caused me to feel safe enough to start crying. It was only one tear at first, its salty smell stinging my nose. The small droplet rolled down my chubby cheek and onto Father's silky kimono. Clenching my fingers around the navy garment, I felt how the material gave away under the pressure of my nails. Afterwards I sniffled loudly and turned my head away from the other demon's sight, only to feel how a hand wiped the tears off my cheek.

 _''Shizuka.''_ His chest vibrated as Father spoke my name.

Feeling how my resolve was slowly slipping away, I decided to ask the question that has been on my mind since I had left the hot springs. ''Otou...'' Pausing, I covered my face in shame. _''...Chichi-ue,_ why don't I have any siblings?''

The hand combing my hair froze at the sound of this title, but it was after the question finally left my mouth that his whole body became rigid.

 _I received an answer without him having to say anything out loud._

Not even five seconds passed when he started caressing my head soothingly again and yet the damage was already done. Father was a very stoic person and rarely did he show any true emotions. This time he reacted rather openly to my words and even now that he started behaving 'normally' again, I could still feel the way his power thrashed under his skin in agitation.

''You are quite similar to me, Shizuka.'' Father begun, his tone silken. ''Just like me you possess a very rare ability. I have already explained it to you. The acid in your claws will serve you greatly in the future, but it does have a horrible side effect. This ability of ours is very rare and not many inherit it. In your litter, just like me in mine, you were the only one gifted with this ability.''

A loud sob passed my lips. ''It is my fault.''

''Of course not.'' Father sighed quietly. ''This was out of your control. The other pups did not inherit the poison, neither did they receive a resistance against it. All of them died before you were born, yes, but that does not mean that it was your fault. If it is anyone's fault, then it should be mine. I should have been more careful while searching for a mate. I had already known that this might happen—seen it in my own youth when only I survived. My whole litter was lost as well. Would you blame me for their deaths?''

At the moment I couldn't have cared less about the fact that I was ruining Father's kimono with my tears and snot.

I had to think about my answer for a few seconds, but I knew that I could not blame Father—the man who had cared for me since the moment I had been reborn into this world. The man who had bathed me, fed me and ensured my survival.—for something so out of our hands.

I could not blame the man who had become my biggest _hero_ for the death of any of our siblings. ''Of course not...C _hichi-ue.''_

''If you cannot blame me, Shizuka, then you cannot blame yourself, either.'' He draped an arm over my trembling body.

Sadly, the whole thing was easier said than done.


	9. Around My Way

**I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but one of you asked when this story takes place, so here is the answer: Shizuka was born before Inuyasha was freed, but I think that we will reach canon events soon.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Beta: _Silimaira_**

 **Rating for this chapter: T  
**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.]**

 **Have fun.  
**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 9_

 _Around My Way_

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 _._

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 _Where Punishments Were Given  
_

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 _"I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices."  
― Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile or On Education _

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_Year 2 Day 1_

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I awoke feeling the stifling warmth of the blankets that had been put over me. A few rays of sunlight entered the room through the shoji screens I had forgotten to close last night and the smell of lavender wafted from the garden into my nose as a soft wind rustled the trees.

Father was already awake—I doubted that he had slept more than two or three hours—his large hand splayed over my back. He seemed to be deep in thought, but I knew that he must have noticed me rousing from my sleep.

We weren't the only conscious demons in the huge compound, most of them slept a few hours out of convenience rather than real need, waking up along with the sun. They bustled through the buildings, cleaning and fulfilling their duties.

Wiping the corners of my mouth, I noticed that I had drooled on Father's kimono. There was a wet stain on the dark material that caused me to rub the back of my head sheepishly.

''...'m sorry.'' I mumbled while putting both of my palms against Father's chest and raising my body. Turning my head left and right, I looked around the room and noticed the low table littered with expensive scrolls. It seemed as if Father had been forced to take care of some paper work last night, finishing it before I practically stormed into his room and started bothering him during his free time.

The memories of the day before assaulted my mind and a small grimace appeared on my face. Not only had I behaved like a small child, but it seemed as if my father's words had not truly worked. There was still an underlying sense of guilt inside my heart, but it wasn't as profound as it had been a few hours ago. My mind seemed a little clearer now, so I could focus properly on everything I knew. From what I had gathered, the death of my litter wasn't such an unusual occurrence among Inuyokai.

The same thing had happened to my father.

A finger trying to smooth the furrow between my brows distracted me and my gaze met Father's golden orbs. ''You should not be thinking so hard in the morning, Shizuka.''

Forcing a smile onto my face, I tilted my head cutely to the left. I was still situated on his chest and some of his hair tickled my toes. ''I am fine.''

''I see.'' Rising abruptly, he caught me before I could have fallen onto the ground and softly positioned me in his lap. ''Whoever brought this to your attention did not possess the slightest shred of intelligence. You are a child, Shizuka, and you had no control over what happened.''

Clenching my eyes to stop myself from crying, I softly nuzzled his throat. A weird purring sound rose in my throat and Father answered with his own low growl. Human ears would not have been able to catch those sounds, their hearing impossibly weak compared to ours.

Gingerly, Father ran a hand through my tangled tresses and I snuggled closer to his chest. My hair had grown a lot in the last year and it now reached a little below my shoulder blades. Considering this century's custom, I doubted that we would be cutting it anytime soon. I would probably end up with a mane longer than that of my father.

The blanket slid off my shoulders steadily, revealing the pale pink kimono Mayuri had put on me yesterday. Last night, I had taken off the upper layers of my clothing, so that I could move more easily. The garments most likely still laid on the floor of my room, another so called 'flaw' the servants would see fit to bemoan. Still, I did not regret taking it off as I preferred to avoid wearing all those formal clothes for as long as possible. When I got older, I certainly wouldn't be allowed to run around in trousers, thus I wanted to enjoy my youth until I was forced to wear a ton of silk on my shoulders.

Removing his hand from my back, Father adjusted the blanket over my body to keep me warm. Afterwards his hands slid under my armpits and gently deposited me on top of his futon.

While Father stood up, I grabbed the edges of my blanket and regarded him from my sitting position. In those dark clothes he looked more than a little alien to me. I was so used to seeing him in white and defensive armor that the dark kimono he was currently wearing made me scrunch up my nose slightly.

Surprised, I watched how Father slid one of the 'walls' to the side, revealing a small room used to store clothing. He pulled out a _wine red_ kimono and _dark gray_ hakama out of it. They were followed by a black haori and a pair of tabi. The colors were all very different from his normal preferences and it made me blink a few times. But I did have to admit that the end result did not look as odd as I had expected.

Maybe it was Father's holier-than-thou expression, the way he could look at you just for a passing second and make you feel as if you were a worm under his shoe, or it could have also been his posture that practically screamed royalty, but at that moment he could have worn some dirty old rags and no one would have been able to criticize him.

After getting dressed, Father came to me and took a hold of my hand. ''You need to dress properly before meeting your Obaa-sama.''

Carefully, strong hands pulled me onto my feet and led me out of the room towards the porch. The walk across it was very short and I could see a few servants in the distance. One of them was kneeling on the grass and I guessed that he was the gardener. Since his back was turned to us, I could only see his rather ordinary dark hair and curiously bare arms and hands.

With all the unusual colorings of my new species, seeing someone looking so average, even if it was only from behind, was peculiar. Demons seemed to pride themselves in their exotic appearances and I wondered if the man's face held some markings unlike his two appendages.

Before I could see his front, Father pulled me into my unexpectedly clean room. Someone must have entered it in the morning and cleaned up the mess I had created last night. My favorite kimono, clean and carefully folded, had been put on top of my futon.

''I want another, please.'' I whispered as Father moved towards the piece of clothing. There was no need for me to go to breakfast in 'tattered rags'.

Narrowed eyes regarded me and I turned my head away from the man, feeling shame at my own weakness. The talk of those twits should not have affected me this much.

''Of course.'' A closet similar to that inside his own room was opened and he quickly chose a mint green kimono. It seemed warm enough for this time of the year and was cut in a way that would give me enough mobility.

Father's elfin ear twitched slightly as he gave me the kimono. ''Put it on. I will be back soon. Do _not_ leave the room, Shizuka.''

And then he just turned around and did what he had forbidden me. His footsteps were silent as he walked down the hallway and it did not take me long to figure out where he was going. A few rooms away from mine, Mayuri seemed to be sweeping the floor. Or at least it sounded as if she was sweeping something, I couldn't really tell.

Focusing my mind on the given task, I decided to ignore whatever business Sesshomaru had with the female demon. By now I had learned that there were some things I was better off not knowing. Besides, I had to put on my kimono and that wasn't an easy task with my current body.

I preferred focusing on it instead of whatever the two demons were talking about.

First, I had to take off what I was currently wearing, then replace it with the new garb. It took me a while, especially securing the violet obi, but I did finish before Father came back and he only needed to straighten up a few places on my kimono.

We left my quarters hand in hand and met a few servants during our walk towards the dining room. All of them bowed deeply, greeting my father first and then me. None of their gazes met my own and some of them seemed to be curiously nervous.

I could smell their anxiety and relief when they were finally out of our proximity.

It was then that I noticed the stoic expression on Father's face. Although he rarely showed any emotions, there just seemed to be something _dangerous_ on his face today. I had not noticed it before because it wasn't directed at me, but his yoki seemed ready to lash out.

I discovered who the subjects of his anger were pretty quickly. Inside the dining room, kneeling near the entrance, were the twins who had been assigned to help Mayuri bath me. I grimaced at the sight of them and watched how the longhaired one did the same as we entered the room.

''Sesshomaru-sama.'' Both of them chorused as they lowered their heads in submission. Father narrowed his eyes minutely and motioned for me to move towards my grandmother with one of his hands. Somehow I knew that I did not want to be near them when the shit finally hit the fan.

While I hurried towards the regal looking woman who was watching the proceedings with a vicious smirk, Father just stood in place and regarded the two demonesses silently.

Kaori's lip quivered and I felt a vindictive pleasure because of her predicament.

''Stand up.'' He ordered and there was no way that anyone could have disobeyed him. From my place next to Inukimi I observed the situation and felt how my grandmother put one of her hands on my knee.

The two girls stood up and kept their gazes on the floor.

''Haha-ue chose you, trusted you to take care of my pup.'' His voice sounded more like a growl. ''Clearly this trust was misplaced.''

''Sesshomaru-sa...'' The short haired sister was interrupted before she could finish her statement.

 _''Silence.''_ My eyes widened as his hand shot out and wrapped around the girl's throat. There was a thin red circle around my sire's irises and I knew that the primal part of him was trying to take over.

 _Poison leaked from his claws._ ''Both of you will move to the lower grounds to serve the soldiers in the barracks and neither you or your sister are allowed to show your faces near the royal family or nobility ever again.''

The redhead whimpered from the lack of air and the wounds created by the poison. They would be a shameful reminder of what the twins had done, the acid making sure that the wounds would scar.

I had to turn my head away when Kaori fell onto her knees and started begging for the release of her sister. They had hurt me, yes, but that did not mean that I wanted to see such a display.

 _(I ignored the part of me that was purring in pleasure.)_

Noticing my reaction, Father gave a final tight squeeze and let the girl go. She fell onto the ground, her knees colliding painfully with the wooden floor. Kaori scrambled over to her twin and wrapped an arm around her waist. I caught a glimpse of the redhead's throat and winced. There were several open wounds on her throat and had she been human they certainly would have been fatal.

As it was, the girl only had time to hiss painfully before her sister pulled her up and started dragging her out of the room. They uttered quiet goodbyes, mentioning my name and title as well, and retreated out of our sight.

Calmly, my father walked up to the low table and sat down in a perfect seiza.

Our breakfast was a silent affair.

* * *

 _Year 2 Day 3_

* * *

The compound was much larger than I imagined. In its center was the royal family's mansion which was surrounded by a large garden and the homes of the higher nobility. The lower the rank of a person, the farther on the outskirts he lived. Most of the servants and soldiers lived in small barracks at the edges of the land.

From what I had seen these barracks weren't of the best quality, but compared to some of the huts in the human villages we had passed through, the barracks were a luxury.

During my tour through Father's home, we spent only a few minutes in the outskirts—my grandmother preferred to show me the magnificent gardens. Father had left us to our own devices after breakfast and Inukimi chose to entertain me that day. The woman had decided that I should know what my family home looked like and took me down to the outer layer of the compound.

There I was paraded in front of the soldiers, their bows creepier than those of the servants. I wasn't quite sure how I should react to a more than six foot tall man with biceps thicker than my body bowing in front of me.

Fortunately, we left as soon as they started their daily training. The homes of the nobility were our next destination. It was there that I met a few of the higher-ranked demons. Most of them regarded me with a muted curiosity.

After what had happened a few days ago, no one dared to show any animosity towards me. Father had made sure that everyone knew what would happen to them if they should ever hurt me. He had socially destroyed the twins, leaving them as pariahs in the compound.

I had not seen either of the girls since that day and I doubted that I would come face to face with them anytime soon. Truthfully, by time I would stumble upon them again the whole thing would most likely be long forgotten. I wasn't someone who held on to grudges and I just wanted to forget about the whole situation.

Besides, they won't be the last ones to insult me in such a manner and I needed to strengthen my heart against such words. Showing weakness in a world filled with so many predators would only lead to another untimely death.

''Are you tired, little pup?'' Inukimi stopped walking across the carefully-paved stone path and inclined her head. Golden eyes sparkled in the sun and examined my form. ''You are slowing down.''

I blinked as a lazy smile stretched over my face and I took a few steps forward, pulling my grandmother along with me. ''I was thinking.''

Letting go of her hand, I stepped onto the soft green grass and bent down to peer at one of the flowers more clearly. They seemed to be common in the garden, but I had never seen such plants before. Bright orange and icy blue petals surrounded a navy pistil. The stem was short and colored a very dark green. Small threads fell from the petals and touched the ground.

My hand reached out and touched the surprisingly solid flower, the petals although very fragile looking did not bend under pressure.

''Ikiru shi. If processed the right way, it is one of Japan's deadliest flowers,'' Grandmother informed me and I immediately ripped my hand away from the plant. Wiping my palm against the grass, I turned an accusatory gaze to her. ''Now, now, do not look at me like that. The flower is harmless in this state. It needs to be boiled to bring out its poisonous qualities. Besides, this is not the first time you have come into contact with it. The threads are often used to decorate our kimonos.''

She pointed at her own garb. ''Do you see the golden markings? They are stitched with the Ikiru shi. Some demons believe that these threads work as a protection against corrupted spirits and even if they don't, you would not have to worry about them being lethal to you. I am certain that you inherited your father's immunity against it. The worst that would happen would be some stomach pains and a dreadful rash.''

Well, that was comforting.

''Can we go to stables?'' I asked after a few seconds of silence, remembering the children we had seen earlier. None of them had been my age, all seemed to be several years older. They had been talking about the stables and 'little ones'. ''Can we?''

Amusement shone in her eyes at my quick change of topic, but she did not deny my request. ''Most of the steeds are probably down at the field, eating their fill of grass.'' Disappointment appeared on my face and vanished as soon as I heard her next words. ''Perhaps a few stayed behind.''

Gracefully, Inukimi bent down to pick me up. In her arms I leaned my head against her shoulder and sighed contently.

''People underestimate you, Shizuka.'' The woman said as she finally started walking down the path once again. Her statement seemed to come out of nowhere and yet I knew that she had been waiting to say this for the whole time. Inukimi was the only female relative I had and there were some things in this world that my father could not teach me. Whatever the point of our current talk would be, I had a feeling that this was one of those things.

''The two servants did and more will do the same in the future. Both your age and _gender_ will lead to others treating you badly. But I know that you are more intelligent than you pretend to be and that is good.'' She paused, adjusting her hold on me. ''You need to understand that even though the demon society is infinitely more accepting than the human one, there are still many preconceptions against women. Just like me, you will have to fight for your place at the top, be it with your own power and intelligence or a mate you will know how to control.''

 _Respect_ , that's all I felt as I leaned my body slightly backwards and regarded my grandmother. I might not have truly known her, but she was still someone I could openly admire. A strong woman who held a position of power in a time of male supremacy.

Smile turning into a smirk, Inukimi continued. ''We may be women, Shizuka, but we are not _weak._ Remember that.''

My lips morphed into an expression resembling the one on my grandmother's face. ''Hai, Obaa-sama.''

Gentleness entered her eyes and her mouth quirked into a minute smile. ''Now that we have made that clear, we are almost at the stables. Can you hear them?''

At first I wondered what she meant, however, I quickly realized that she was talking about the _whimpering_ younglings of the steeds. What I did not expect was for the steeds to end up being actually two-headed _dragons_ instead of some kind of horses. Of course, I did not think that common horses would be awaiting us in the stables. Normal animals were too frightened by demons to be of any use. However, I reckoned with creatures that at least resembled normal horses.

Coming across a double-headed reptile was a bit of a shock.

Then came the realization that I was actually standing in front of a real life _dragon_ and there was nothing I could have done to stop the awed 'wow' from escaping my mouth. I felt quite foolish afterwards.

''You can touch him. Just be gentle and try not to startle him.'' Inukimi pointed at one of the younger looking beasts. His greenish scales shimmered in the mild sunlight as both heads turned in our direction. Two pairs of eerily similar yellow eyes blinked and I immediately noticed that the creature had no discernible sclera.

With my tiny build it wasn't hard to seem harmless, so I just proceeded to slowly walk forward. One of the heads seemed to lose interest in me almost immediately. It started devouring some hay from the ground.

The other dragon continued watching me as I advanced forward. Soon, only a small wooden gate separated us—a gate that was taller than me. Even standing on my toes did not help me reach the fabled creature.

After a few futile and undignified attempts the dragon seemed to start pitying me and leaned his one head over the small wooden barrier. It was low enough for me to finally be able to touch him.

His mane was surprisingly coarse to the touch, contrasting heavily with his warm and smooth scales. Softly, I trailed my hand over the length of his neck and giggled as a slightly wet nose nudged me forward. When I felt the dragon nibble at my skin I realized that he was searching for a treat.

Turning around to look at my grandmother, I tilted my head curiously. The woman was already holding her hand out to me, a piece of an apple on top of her palm. ''They are herbivores, so he should like it.''

I took it from her with one hand and held the apple in front of his nostrils. Warm breaths tickled my skin as the dragon smelled the treat. Then a pinkish tongue darted out of his mouth and pulled the apple away from my palm, leaving a wet trail of saliva behind.

 _Eww._

''Well, he seems to like you.'' Inukimi gave me a handkerchief before I could clean my hand with one of our expensive kimonos. ''How about a ride?''

My eyes widened dramatically and I pointed at the _dragon. ''Ride?''_

Riding a dragon, even thinking about it sounded bizarre. Never before had I imagined doing something so impossible and ridiculous.

A picture of Harry Potter trying to escape a dragon entered my mind and I almost laughed. Perhaps I was exaggerating and letting the human in me speak, but ridding a dragon had never crossed my mind.

And yet, the idea seemed outrageously alluring.

''Safe?'' My voice was quiet and unsure.

Grandmother picked me up into her arms. ''Of course it is. Besides, you won't be doing it alone.'' She angled her body towards the entrance of the stables. ''Hiroto, come prepare the steed for us.''

Shuffling and the clatter of some metal could be heard outside, alerting me to the presence of this 'Hiroto'.

Within less than a minute a young man with dirty blonde hair appeared before us, a saddle and reins in his arms. Upon entering the stables the demon bowed lowly. ''Inukimi-sama, Shizuka-hime.''

While grandmother nodded in acknowledgment and walked in the direction of the entrance, the male demon hurried towards the dragon I had been petting just a few seconds ago. Over Inukimi's shoulder I observed how a pair of reins was fastened around each snout.

How could they properly walk with two brains controlling their body?

Suddenly, I started doubting the safety of our next activity.

''Now, now, there is no need for you to frown like that.'' Grandmother whispered in my ear, her silky hair brushing my cheek. We were in the garden once again and a cool wind ruffled my own tresses. ''Nothing will happen.''

Somehow, against all reason, I _believed_ her. It was similar to the trust I felt for my father—not as strong of course, but still _similar._ Perhaps it had something to do with our familial relation or the fact that she had done nothing to hurt me, I could only guess.

At the end I would probably blame my new instincts again.

Smiling softly, I sniffed her throat and enjoyed the calming smell. As a human such an action might have seemed awkward, but among Inuyokai it was quite normal and common.

In response, my grandmother purred gently and leaned her chin against the top of my head.

''Uhm...He is ready, Inukimi-sama.'' Hiroto stuttered nervously, interrupting our moment. When Grandmother's gaze landed on him, the poor man looked as if he wanted to run away.

The left dragon head nudged his hand, ripping him out of his frozen stupor. ''Ah...They are from tamer dragons, so they should not cause you any problems, Inukimi-sama.''

Grandmother starred at him for a few seconds, not blinking even once. ''You may leave.''

And that was exactly what he did. Hiroto just turned around and scurried away, bringing a self-satisfied smirk onto Inukimi's lips. She had enjoyed seeing him squirm like that.

Surprisingly, the dragons came up to us on four steady legs. They seemed to agree on each of their steps, reaching us without stumbling even once. Mounting the beast wasn't hard when the only thing I needed to do was staying still as Grandmother lowered me onto the big saddle. Then she sat down behind me, gracefully and without ruffling her expensive kimono. Her hands gripped both of the reins and I took hold of the front of the saddle.

At first the dragons moved slowly but this quickly changed into a run. Letting go of the saddle with one of my hands, I touched the smooth scales on their back and felt their powerful muscles moving under their skin. A few months ago I would been scared when their legs stopped touching the ground and we finally started flying, but after all that had happened it did not seem so frightening anymore.

This experience differed greatly from flying on my father's back. For once I could actually observe the world surrounding me without having to push tons of whit fur out of my way. I could feel the wind caressing my skin and see the few birds that dared to come near us.

It was a truly wonderful experience.

For the first time since I entered the compound, I laughed out loud, the joy I felt almost palpable in the air.


	10. Growing Pains

**So, it's been more than half a year since I have updated this story. There are a few reasons why I haven't written a new chapter for 'Till The World Stops Turning' in such a long time, the main one being that I got irritated with its perspective. For a while I have wondered if I should just rewrite the whole story, but I decided against it in the end.**

 **Though, I still chose to change the POV of this story.**

 **Another problem I have with this story is that I'm unsure about how I should continue it. Originally, I planned for Shizuka to still be a child when canon started. This story was never meant to be especially plot heavy when it came to changing the canon events. Its original purpose was world building and showing how Shizuka's presence could affect the lives of the canon characters.**

 **Some of you have pointed out that this course of action might get boring very quickly and I fear that you might be right. The problem is that despite that, I would still prefer to follow my original plan.**

 **I don't know, perhaps some of you might share your opinions about this with me in a PM or review. That would be helpful.**

 **The last thing I want to say is that 'Till The World Stops Turning' was never meant to be an especially long fic. At the begining I had planned for it to have only a little bit over ten chapters, though I have come to realize that it will probably end up being much longer. Still, I will try keeping it as short as possible. Perhaps that way things won't get too tedious.**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **Beta: _Silimaira_**

 **Rating** **for this chapter: K**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Sesshomaru's daughter.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 10_

 _Growing Pains_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where They Moved On_

* * *

 _"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."_

 _― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein_

* * *

 _Year 2 Day 9_

* * *

They spent a few more days with Shizuka's grandmother until her father finally decided that the time had come for them to leave. The reasoning he gave Inukimi for their departure was something about patrols and keeping the lands safe, but neither his mother nor his daughter were fully convinced.

Personally, Shizuka thought that the servants had managed to irritate her father enough so that if he did not leave soon, he would slaughter half of the household. She could not even blame him for this. The small girl herself only came to like a handful of the servants she had met during the stay in her family home.

Shizuka was actually really happy about the fact that they were finally leaving. She would miss her grandmother and perhaps even Mayuri, but that was it.

Still, she tried to keep the huge grin that was slowly forcing itself across her lips from appearing on her face. Inukimi had been a wonderful host and an even better grandmother, so she deserved some restraint from Shizuka.

''You will visit again soon, Sesshomaru,'' said Inukimi as she regarded her son sternly. Then her gaze moved towards Shizuka and softened visibly. ''Pester your father until he agrees to come and see your _lonely_ grandmother.''

The child's lips twitched as she heard the dramatic voice Inukimi used. ''I will, Obaa-sama.''

In a year or so she would certainly ask her father to visit their only other family member. Until then, she would take a rest from the overbearing presence of all the servants.

''Good.'' The woman nodded her head and continued speaking, ''Now, before you leave, I have something for both of you.''

Shizuka smiled brightly. ''A present?''

''Yes, a present.'' Laughing delicately, Inukimi pointed in the direction of the stables. ''Jaken is currently helping the other servants saddle and prepare the dragon you liked so much, little pup. I have also made sure to pack a a few necessities you might need during your travels.

Wide and happy eyes stared up at the older woman. Shizuka could not stop herself from letting out a squeal of happiness. ''Really? Thank you, Obaa-sama!''

The older woman had literally given her a _dragon._ Inukimi truly was the best grandmother in the world.

''I'm glad you like it.'' She patted the girl's hair. ''As for you, my son, for you I've gotten something a little more special. I have been waiting for a while now for you to be ready to receive it and I had not actually thought that the right moment would come any time soon. You've surprised me.''

Turning towards one of the servants, Inukimi took the object the lizard demon was holding out to her. It was rather long and covered by a silky sheet that did nothing to hinder Shizuka from figuring out what it was.

From what she guessed it had to be some sort of weapon, a sword most likely.

There was something rather sad in Inukimi's eyes once she turned towards her son. ''This is the inheritance your father has left you. The Tenseiga. Supposedly, it can bring a hundred beings back to life with just one swing. At the same time, the blade can hurt no living being.''

And wasn't that shocking; a sword that could defy _death._

Shizuka watched her father frown in distaste for just a moment. His gaze strayed from the gift as the little girl grabbed a hold of his hakama.

It was curious, the way his expression immediately shifted to one of acceptance once his eyes fell upon her. Sesshomaru reached out to take the sword from his mother's hands. ''I am honored, Haha-ue.''

(...and the thing was, that Sesshomaru truly was _honored..._

...

...in another life, the demon might have regarded this sword as a grave insult to his person...

...

...

...but in this life, it took him just a second to come back to his senses and see the true use of this gift...

...

...it took just a look at his fragile daughter and the way her tiny hands clutched his hakama in search of comfort for him to realize how easily her life could be ended and thus what a blessing this sword could turn out to be in the future...)

* * *

 _Year 2 Day 97_

* * *

It started with an itch.

Her legs and arms tickled uncomfortably from time to time and not even her sharp claws managed to diminish the unpleasant sensation. Scratches marred her skin and only grew more prominent as the periods of reprieve lessened.

She was fortunate enough to have advanced demonic healing, otherwise the injuries on her body might have been more severe. As it was, most of them healed within minutes or a few hours at most.

Shizuka's father did not seem to be worried at all which was both a consolation and _irritation._

Asking him about what was wrong with her did not help at all. He just patted her head softly and told her to be _patient._

Having no other choice, the toddler tried following his instruction, but that became practically impossible when in addition to the itching, her body started _burning up._ At first she thought that it was a fever, however, none of the usual symptoms accompanied it. No headaches. No nausea. No shivering. The young demon wasn't even cold for one second. The contrary occurred, actually.

Warmth spread over her whole body and caused sweat to gather on her forehead. Her cheeks flushed red and so did the other parts of her skin. Bathing in the cool lake did not do her any good. Even there the warmth continued spreading through her insides, though washing the sweat off her skin was still nice.

''Chichi-ue,'' she began, twisting a strand of hair with her fingers. ''What going on with me?''

Opening his golden eyes, the older demon hummed softly. ''Soon, Shizuka, soon you are going to find out.''

Soon, as it turned out, just so happened to be only a few hours later. Once the sun set, her father forced her to leave the shallow water. The nights were cold this time of the year and although demons rarely got sick, it was still a possibility. Especially for children as young as Shizuka.

By the time she was dressed and ready for sleep, Jaken had already prepared her dinner. The meal consisted of a few fruits and some fresh meat Sesshomaru had procured for her. While the meat wasn't of demonic nature, it still tasted pretty good. From what she guessed, it seemed to come from a duck.

The girl had always liked eating duck meat, even when she _wasn't_ Shizuka.

Sometimes, it was very comforting to notice that not _everything_ had changed. To notice that she was as much Shizuka as she was _Miori Anderson_.

Wiping some sweat from her brow, the girl lowered herself onto soft furs. Because of how uncomfortable she felt, the young demon did not even try lying down to sleep. She knew that the blissful numbness of sleep would probably elude her for most of if not the entire night once again. For the last few days Shizuka had not slept well.

At the begining of this rather _unfortunate_ situation, the young child had still been able to find some solace once the sun set. Her fragile body wasn't accustomed to staying awake for longer periods of time, not even a slightly irritating itch had been capable of changing that.

But then that itch had changed into a fiery burning and Shizuka suddenly found herself completely restless and practically ready to burst into tears.

The fact that her father seemed to regard her condition as some secret rite of passage did not help at all. Thankfully, he did not leave her alone, although he did not do anything helpful either.

Turning tearful eyes towards her father, Shizuka bit her lip nervously and accidentally broke her skin with one of her canines. They seemed to have gotten sharper in the last few days. As she felt a few droplets of blood gathering on her lips, the young girl reached upward to wipe them away. For once she did not care about the fact that she was staining her kimono irreparably.

She just could not bring herself to care about anything but the worsening sensations plaguing her body. _''Chichi-ue,_ can't you do something?''

''You just have to wait, Shizuka,'' he answered neutrally, his eyes never straying from the sword in his lap. He was sharpening it with a whetstone, his whole concentration on it.

And suddenly...

...

...suddenly Shizuka felt incredibly _angry._ She had been suffering from whatever was happening for the last few days and her father did not even deign to tell her what was going on. The man just continued watching over her almost impassively and it was this impassivity that caused _rage_ to well up inside her chest.

Before the girl knew what was happening, a low _growl_ escaped her lips. Normally she would have never acted in such a way towards her father, but at this very moment Shizuka could not control herself. Her whole body was trembling due to her anger and even more growls escaped her mouth.

Sesshomaru looked up from his weapon, his gaze narrowing and zeroing on her face. There was a warning in his eyes, though his lips seemed to turn up in minuscule amusement. It was as if he could not decided whether he should be disapproving of her disrespect or amused by her overall behavior.

This only infuriated her even more.

Incredibly sharp claws dug into her palms, making blood trickle onto the grass bellow. Had she been in her right mind, then Shizuka might have noticed the way the plants sizzled once they made contact with her blood. She might have noticed that the poison that was normally contained in her claws had spread into her blood.

She did not notice, of course, and took a step forward to...

...

...what exactly? Attack her father?

 _What a joke._

Fortunately, though that was probably a matter of perspective, Shizuka did not manage to get too far as her body suddenly started to literally _glow._ Softly at first and then hard enough to blind her. The burning intensified impossibly and the small child fell forward onto her knees. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt the wind blow around her violently.

When she almost felt ready to _scream,_ Shizuka felt her father's aura brush over her skin. It seemed to be urging her to do something. While Shizuka herself had no idea what exactly that something was, her body and instincts did.

What happened next wasn't something she could properly describe. Her body seemed to almost _ripple_ and her breath caught in her throat. Almost impossibly, her vision sharpened and then Shizuka wasn't standing on two legs anymore but _four._

Admittedly, what she was doing certainly could not be called standing. It was more along the lines of being sprawled across the ground.

Turning her head to the side, Shizuka focused her eyes on her father, only to realize that she was _taller_ than him. Panicked, she gazed down at her feet and came upon the sight of two fluffy _paws._

 _She was a dog. She was a freaking dog._

Although this should not have surprised her - Shizuka had been expecting this for a while now - the girl still found herself completely flummoxed.

She pushed herself ungracefully onto her feet, no, _paws,_ only to lose her balance and drop onto her side. Her limbs weren't working properly and she ended up incapable of even straightening herself.

A _whine_ escaped her snout as she struggled to roll herself onto her stomach. It was a pitiful attempt that did not yield any results.

This certainly wasn't how she planned to spend her evening.

When help finally came in the form of a strong jaw with incredibly sharp teeth grabbing her neck, the small girl did not know whether she should holler in happiness or cry out in fright. As it was, she froze in place until her father finished helping her stand on her legs and let go of her. He continued supporting her with his snout - even while she was in this form, his head was still several times larger than her whole body. - until she finally managed to catch her balance.

Embarrassingly, Shizuka yipped happily. The sound was high in pitch and more than a little inhuman.

Sesshomaru rumbled approvingly and nudged her softly to show the girl that she should try moving. The sad thing was that this nudge was enough to once again send her toppling onto her furry side.

Shizuka was decidedly not amused.


	11. A Father's Protection

**Please leave a review.**

 **Beta: _Silimaira_**

 **Rating for this chapter: K**

 **Summary: Misplaced somewhere I did not belong to, in a body that should have never been mine, I could only wait for the world to finally stop turning. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Sesshomaru's daughter]**

 **Have fun**

* * *

 _Till The World Stops Turning_

 _Chapter 11_

 _A Father's Protection_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Where She Met A Stranger_

* * *

 _"You're something between a dream and a miracle."_  
 _― Elizabeth Barrett Browning_

 _"He drew the dagger and laid it on the table between them; a length of dragonbone and Valyrian steel, as sharp as the difference between right and wrong, between true and false, between life and death."_

 _― George_ _R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones_

* * *

 _Year 3 Day 50_

* * *

Spending time in her so called 'real' form took a while getting used to. Shizuka thought that it would never feel as natural to her as it was actually meant to be. The life she had spent as a human made sure of that.

Still, that didn't mean that she did not enjoy changing into her dog form. There was something very exhilarating about the way her senses sharpened even more when she did that and not much could compare to the feeling of freely running on four paws. For now, Shizuka was faster that way and as a whole probably also more dangerous. Although she was no match for other demons right now, the girl would certainly be capable of beating a human while changed.

Nevertheless, there were a few things she would never get used to in that form, her father's daily grooming of her was one of them. In the last few months it had become a tradition that they repeated every morning before doing anything else. Sesshomaru was very meticulous about the whole thing and Shizuka could not even fault him for that. The grooming did not serve to clean the child - though it certainly destroyed all the dirt and bacteria on her skin - but to drench her in her father's poisonous acid. Its sweet smell was even more effective than the grown demon's own scent against other predators.

Many demons would stay away from her because of the acid she herself produced, but there were still those who could combat it. There were only a few demons in the world that could combat an adult Inuyokai's poison, which was way more potent than her own.

Despite knowing that, Shizuka was still rather reluctant when it came to letting her father take care of their routine. Understandably, the girl found being drenched in what could be considered Sesshomaru's spit rather unpleasant. At the beginning she had tried to get away from her father, but she was forced to accept that the other demon was even more stubborn than she was very quickly.

After a while the young child just gave up and let the adult protect her in every way possible. Shizuka knew that the world she had been born into was a dangerous one. A world without a place for frivolous sentimentality.

A fortunate thing was that the acid wasn't sticky and did not need long to dry. Sometimes Shizuka had the feeling that the process took longer than was actually necessary because her father knew how much she disliked it and he enjoyed teasing her.

Sesshomaru was very subtle with his reactions and incredibly hard to read; however, Shizuka had spent enough time with the man to recognize some of his discreet reactions.

Her father was a very stoic man, but that did not make him heartless.

''I've found some berries for Shizuka-hime, Sesshomaru-sama!'' Jaken shrieked as he entered the large clearing they were occupying. When they chose to change their forms, they either had to find a clearing large enough to contain her father's true form or the older demon just ended up creating his own free space. All the trees Shizuka had seen him destroy could probably create a small forest.

Canting his head to the side, Sesshomaru regarded the positively tiny imp with his large red eyes. Normally, Shizuka was just roughly a head taller than the imp, but in her current form she towered over the smaller demon. This meant that she actually had to be careful when she approached Jaken and with how she behaved around him. Despite his irritating personality, both Sesshomaru and Shizuka cared about the imp. Finding a valet as loyal and devoted as him was a rarity. The young girl did not doubt the fact that if it came to it, Jaken would willingly lay down his life for her.

A nudge to her side informed the girl that her father had finished his ministrations and that she was finally allowed to move away from him.

She did just that, bounding happily over to Jaken and lowering her snout to scent the small bag in his hands. Shizuka yipped excitedly when she realized that he had found and gathered some cherries and strawberries for her. Within seconds she stood on her human feet once again and regarded her caretaker with large and imploring eyes.

''Can I?'' inquired Shizuka as she held out a hand.

Jaken nodded his head proudly and handed over the bag without further ado. The little imp knew that he had managed to gather some of her favorite fruits and in his opinion making his master's daughter happy was something to be proud of.

With a big smile on her face, the child grabbed a hold of his hand and started dragging him towards her father. There, the both of them promptly sat down, Shizuka leaning her back against Sesshomaru's body while Jaken made himself comfortable in front of her.

Despite her best efforts, the young demon still managed to stain her newly acquired yukata with the fruit's red juices. It wasn't the first and neither would it be the last garment that she dirtied beyond saving.

* * *

 _Year 3 Day 298_

* * *

When her father told her that they would be meeting an old acquaintance of his, _this_ was not what Shizuka had in mind. For all the strangeness she had experienced in this world, the girl had somehow never imagined that one of her father's associates would end up being an old and senile sword smith who very obviously feared Sesshomaru.

Perhaps it was the wrong use of 'acquaintance' that bothered Shizuka because this man was neither her father's acquaintance nor someone who actually wanted to have something to do with them.

Or it might have just been the older demon's overall weirdness that presented Shizuka's biggest problem.

Totosai was a demon whose actual nature she could not place. Normally, demons had some traits that could be attributed to normal animals, but the elderly man did not. There was also something overly exuberant about his behavior that made him seem _fake._

Shizuka could not claim that she truly disliked the unknown demon, but she certainly did not trust him.

''I didn't know whether to believe the rumors or not, but it seems that they were indeed true. Your clan has been blessed with a new member―an heiress nonetheless,'' Totosai said after greeting both of them seemingly respectfully. ''What is it that I can do for you, Sesshomaru-sama?''

''My daughter's fourth birthday is approaching. I require of you to take care of her gift,'' the dog demon explained. Then he reached inside the pocket of his hakama to retrieve an object hidden by a soft cloth. He gave it to Totosai. ''A part of my claw.

''I see.'' Totosai hummed thoughtfully. ''What exactly do you want me to forge for her?''

Sesshomaru's head tilted and his gaze wandered towards his daughter. ''I believe that a dagger would be the most fitting. We will discuss the price when I see the result.''

Shizuka watched how the unknown demon accepted her father's demands without any protest and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Even if Totosai feared her father, he was still representing his own business. Shouldn't he have had some demands of his own? Or was his fear so overpowering that he did not dare to utter anything?

Although she knew that her father was a scary demon, she had not expected that he would inspire such fear in someone. Maybe she just couldn't fathom how a person could be terrified of the man who had taken care of her so gently since the day she had been reborn into this world.

''It will take me about a months time to finish it.'' The elderly man set the claw fragment on a table near the wall. ''You are welcome to come and get it then.''

Sesshomaru inclined his head in agreement and reached down to pick Shizuka up from her spot on the ground next to him. Now that the two adults had taken care of their business, the dog demons would be leaving.

A while ago Shizuka had found out that a demon's fourth birthday was a very special occasion. It was at that time that children of their kind finally stopped aging so rapidly and started growing older at an incredibly slow rate. Everyone was different which meant that the aging never stopped at exactly the same time, but it was always around a demon's fourth birthday. To celebrate this most demon children received their first weapons around that time. Considering their small frames - Shizuka herself looked around six or seven years old - those weapons were mostly knives or daggers, no swords.

She could not help but question the wisdom of giving such young children sharp weapons. In their world this was probably a necessity and yet it did seem to be a double-edged sword. A child, after all, could not be trusted to not harm itself.

The girl also did not quite know what she should think about the events that had transpired inside this volcano - how did Totosai come to the conclusion that building his forge inside a _volcano_ was actually a good idea? - however, she did know that there was something that bothered her about Totosai.

And as her father turned his back on the other male and she saw the way the look in the stranger's eyes changed, Shizuka realized what exactly that something was.

Totosai might have feared her father, but he certainly did not respect him.

Quite the opposite actually.

He even seemed to hold him in contempt.

Meeting his eyes, Shizuka sneered at him. Whatever he might have done in the past, Sesshomaru would always be her hero and she would not just stand by and watch someone disrespect him.


End file.
